After the Ice
by horahorror
Summary: Viktor and Yuuri have long retired and have settled down to raise a family of their own.
1. In His Shadow

"Aiko, please keep and eye on your brother for me? I would really appreciate it." Yuuri said, stirring a pot of soup on the stove.

"Okay Dad." She said, looking up from the book in her hands. She set it down on the table and stretched a bit. Yuuri looked over at his eldest for just a moment. She was becoming such a beautiful young woman.

Aiko Viktorovna Katsuki-Nikiforova was 13 now. Her deep silver hair, courtesy of Viktor's genes, had grown down her to her lower back now. She was pretty tall for her age as well, almost being as tall as Yuuri. She even asked a few days ago if she could wear eyeliner and lip gloss to school.

Seemed like just yesterday she was a baby in his arms, her shiny hazel eyes lighting up his life. Although her looks reflected more of Viktor than Yuuri, she had taken on Yuuri's quiet and shy personality. She preferred to sit and read in her room rather than go out with her friends. She was Yuuri's little helper, always doing everything he asked with almost no objections. But that didn't change the fact that at home, she was feisty, taking that from Viktor himself. She was sassy without a doubt.

"I swear you look more like Victor everyday Aiko." Yuuri said, looking over at his eldest.

"Not even! I'm telling you when Toshi gets older, he's going to look just like Papa. He even has his eyes."

"If you say so. You forget I've been looking at your Papa a lot longer than you have." Yuuri joked.

Aiko scoffed and walked out the room to go find her little brother. She headed into the living room, finding the boy playing with a couple of toys on the floor.

They never thought they would be the type to have children. Victor was always partial to the idea of having a mini him running around but that was only an idea that floated around for a few years. It wasn't until their beautiful surprise, Aiko, had come into their lives that they quickly changed their minds. At first, they weren't ready. Neither of them had any experience with children before that. It wasn't until a few months in that they started getting the hang of the whole parenting thing. They still learn new things every day even with their second child, Toshiro.

Toshiro Viktorovich Katsuki-Nikiforov was the baby. At almost 2 years old now, he has been a very happy, bouncy child. He loves hugs and kisses. He is always laughing. He almost constantly has a smile on his face. He took a bit after Victor and a bit after Yuuri. His personality wasn't clear cut like it was with Aiko. He was definitely a mystery and they learned more and more about their little boy every day.

Aiko sat next to Toshiro on the floor, watching him play with the blocks on the floor. Toshiro crawled over to her and held his arms up.

"Vverkh. Up!" Toshiro spoke mixing up the many words he had floating in his head, his hands reaching to grab his sister's shirt. She chuckled and reached over to pick him up, setting him in her lap. Aiko grabbed a couple blocks for him and set them down in her lap as well so he could play while still being in her lap.

"You are spoiled Toshi. Ty znayesh' chto." Aiko joked. As Toshiro continued to play, she ran her fingers though the toddler's wavy nearly blond hair. The boy cooed underneath her, snuggling into his older sister's lap.

Viktor's sliver hair was something both children inherited but both had different degrees of the iconic silver locks. Aiko has always had the darker gray tone, borderline black, even when she was a baby.

Toshiro on the other hand, was born a bright blond, the sliver barely noticeable until he started getting older. Yuuri predicted it would get as dark as Aiko's, or even darker than that. Viktor secretly wished it was stay that color forever. He always dreamed that he would have a blond child.

Keys were heard jingling in the door, making Toshiro jump out of his sister's lap. "Papa! Papa!" he yelled, running shakily to the door. Viktor opened the door, noting the small child standing in front of him. He smiled and quickly scooped him into his arms, giving him a hug.

"Hello you too Toshi. I heard you were giving Daddy a load of trouble today." he asked the small boy, running his hand though the boy's hair, ruffling it softly.

Yuuri walked out the kitchen, ready to greet his husband.

"Welcome home." He said, giving him a gentle kiss on the lips. Toshiro covered his eyes and let a few small giggle out. Yuuri smiled gently and kissed the small boys head as well. Viktor gently put down his son, patting his head as a gesture to run off and play. The boy obliged, running to his room in the back of the house.

Viktor pulled Yuuri close, giving him a slower deeper kiss than Yuuri gave him. Yuuri melted in his arms, wrapping one arm around his neck.

Aiko cleared her throat and stood up. "Did you guys forget you still had another kid in the room? At least give me some warning before you guys make out in the living room."

Viktor pulled away and let a small chuckle escape from his lips. He kept his arm around Yuuri, turning to face to meet his eldest. "What? I'm just showing your dad how much I love him. I'm sure you know how that is since all I have been seeing you read lately is romance novels and shojo manga sweetie."

Aiko turned a bright red, turning her face away from Viktor. "Y-yeah. I do. But that doesn't mean I want to see my dad and papa sucking face in front of me."

"Sweetie, did you forget how you got here?"

Yuuri hit Viktor's arm a few times, turning a bright red in the process. "She doesn't want to hear that! Quite honestly, I don't want to hear it."

"Hey! Hey! It's true! Why do I need to lie to her? She's 13 now. She knows how babies are made."

"It doesn't matter. That's still your child Viktor."

"This is getting weird. I'm leaving. Call me when dinner is ready!" She said with her ears covered, walking to her room. Viktor smiled, turning back to his husband.

"So, how was your day?"

Yuuri scoffed and turned his head away, upset that he was trying to change the subject so easily so that he wouldn't get in trouble.

"It was fine. Like I told you earlier, Toshiro had such an attitude today. He wouldn't listen to me at all. He was yelling and crying for you all day. Aiko managed to calm him down a little by playing with him but he was still upset."

"That's no good. He hasn't taken my going back to coaching very well. Its hard to go from having both parents around all the time to having both of them in and out throughout the week."

"Its also probably because you spoil him so much. He only cried for you when I told him no or stopped him from doing something. He knows he gets away with stuff when you are around. You did the same thing with Aiko. You are making me look like the bad guy."

"That's not true!"

Yuuri gave him a stern look. Viktor nervously chuckled and ran a hand though his hair.

"Okay...maybe I do spoil my babies a little much but I can't help it!"

"You're just lucky Aiko turned out to be a sweet girl. Toshiro on the other hand...he's going to be a handful. A true mini you."

Viktor frowned and crossed his arms around his chest. "So you are saying I'm a handful?"

Yuuri chuckled and walked towards the kitchen to check on the food. "Sometimes. You've gotten better over the years, I will admit."

"So mean!" Viktor said, following Yuuri into the kitchen to see what was for dinner. He walked up behind him, grabbing the smaller mans waist. He leaned over his shoulder to look in the pot.

"Its sauce for the pasta." He said, relaxing in his husband's hands.

"Looks good dorogoy. I'm starved."

"How was practice today? Did Sanjou finally get his step sequence together?"

"Its still rough but better than what I was before. I'm sure he is upset at me because I was so hard on him but its for a good reason. But alas, he is a teenage boy and teenage boys are hard headed. He will come around. Ryo was looking good today too. Its obvious he's been practicing at home. I wish his work ethic could rub off on Sanjou." He rambled with a deep sigh.

"Also, Yuuko told me another parent was asking about me coaching their kid. I told her to tell them I can't. I barely get time to go over things with Aiko. Her program is a little lacking right now."

Yuuri turned his head to meet Viktor eyes. He let out a soft sigh.

"Viktor, I thought you were going to lay off at bit. That was the reason we got her a different coach. We have been though this."

Viktor rolled his eyes and walked away from Yuuri, opening the fridge to grab a cold beer out the back.

"You are still upset about this I see."

Viktor popped open the top, taking a huge gulp. He let out a soft sigh before sitting down in a nearby chair.

"Of course I am still upset. We have been coaching her since she could walk without a problem. Then she just ups and asks for a different coach out the blue? What? We're we not good enough for her?" he rants, taking another large gulp.

"You know as well as I do that that is not true." Yuuri said sadly, turning off the stove

Viktor let his shoulders fall, taking a sad sip. He set the beverage on the table and set his head in his hand.

"I know that. Its just…"

"She is a teenager. She's going to go though the 'I'm too cool for my parents' phase. It happens with every kid." Yuuri said, pulling out some plates from the cabinet above his head. "Plus, I think its better that she has a woman coach. She could probably teach her more than we could and she can probably connect more with her."

"So you are saying we weren't good coaches because we are men?"

"Can you stop putting words in my mouth Viktor? I did not say that at all."

"Well it sure sounded like it to me. Sounds like you are saying I can't coach a girl."

"I didn't say that."

"Oh, so I don't 'understand' women at all so there is no way I can coach one? Are you saying I can't connect with my own damn daughter because I am a man?

"Viktor!" Yuuri snapped. Viktor sat back in his chair and looked up at Yuuri's face. His face was red and his eyes fierce and it made his chest tense up. "This isn't about you! This is about Aiko and what she wants. You are putting your own feelings before hers and its not fair to her."

"I am just trying to make sure she gets proper coaching!"

"And Yuna is a proper coach Viktor! You didn't even give the girl a chance before you started tearing her to sheds."

"I just don't think she can offer enough for Aiko to get to the next level."

"She has won a lot of competitions as well Viktor. She's just as qualified as you are."

"She is giving her some low level routine. I saw it. If she as so 'qualified', she would know Aiko can do better than that!"

"This is exactly why Aiko wanted a different coach Viktor! This right here!" Yuuri yelled. He realized what he had said, covering his mouth with his hand. He blushed a bright red and looked down. He had broken his promise.

Viktor froze for a moment, his breath hitched his throat. "Wha..what?"

Yuuri looked down at his feet, trying to calm himself down for a moment before speaking again. He didn't want Toshiro to get upset by hearing them yell at each other.

"She wanted a different coach because….because you were wanting her to be like you. You started to project yourself onto her. Viktor…you pushed her so hard that she wanted to quit."

"H-How…do you know this? Did she tell you?" Viktor said, putting his face into his hand.

Yuuri nodded gently. "One day after practice, I found her crying in her room. She has thrown all her skating stuff in a trash bag. She screamed about how you were just grooming her to be like you. That you never let her be herself. She said you wanted too much of her and she would never be able to be the skater you wanted her to be. She said she wanted to make you happy but it seemed every time she skated, it wasn't enough. She was so afraid she was disappointing you" Yuuri said, taking a moment to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"I told her that wasn't the case; that you were being hard on her because you knew she could do better. She told me skating stopped being fun. She didn't want a sour memory of her skating days so she told me she wanted to quit before she began to hate it. She was sobbing. I didn't know what to do. She was holding in so much and I didn't even know where to start. I just held her for a while. Telling her that it was okay and that you were so proud of her. That we were so proud of her."

The words felt like a knife to the gut. Viktor could feel the tears welling up behind his eyes. Had he really done this to her? Was he the reason why he stopped seeing the spark in her eyes? Was this why she had been so distant with him lately. It all was making sense now

"I…had no idea…I thought…" Viktor said, choking back the tears that were threatening to fall. "I didn't realize…I just wanted her to be successful. She's such a beautiful skater." He said, his voice starting to crack. "All I could think about was when she was little and saw one of my routines for the first time. Her face lit up. It was face I would never forget... she said 'Papa. I want to skate there just like you did'. Ever since then, I have been pushing her because I know she can make it. I know she can be a champion. I never though I would hurt her like that."

Yuuri walked over to Viktor and gently ran his fingers though his hair. Viktor gentle sobs started to fill the room. Yuuri sat in the chair next to him and held him softly. "Its okay. Now you know." He whispered in his ear. "On the bright side, I haven't seen Aiko this happy to skate in a while."

Viktor looked up at Yuuri, tears filling his eyes. He smiled softly and wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah. I went into her room earlier to get her to help me with something and she was practicing her choreography. Of course as soon as she saw me, she stopped but I haven't seen that determined face in a while. "

The echo of small footsteps filled the room.

"Toshiro. Daddy and Papa are talking. Please go to the living room or your room and go play with your toys." Viktor said, not even looking over at the child. Instead of the footsteps leaving, he heard quiet sniffling.

"Papa…" the voice cracked a bit.

Viktor looked up to see Aiko standing in the doorway. Her eyes were red, still filled with tears. She wiped her sleeve over her eyes and took a deep breath. "I heard you guys fighting about me…"

Yuuri looked at Viktor with worried eyes. He had figured she had heard everything. They weren't exactly quiet about it.

"Aiko, we-"

"Papa…" she said, starting to cry once more. She looked down at the floor, clinching her hands into fists.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to get upset. I love you Papa. I loved you as a coach too but you wanted too much of me. I wanted to skate for me but I ended up skating just to please you. It wasn't fun anymore."

She took a deep breath and looked up at her father.

"The girls at the rink said with I was only getting high scores because of you. They said the judges don't want to upset you, so they always pad my scores, making sure I place. It's not fair. No matter how hard I worked to get those scores, everyone just sees your name and assumes everything about me. I just couldn't handle the pressure of trying to live up to you anymore. It was tearing me apart." She continued, the tears constantly streaming down her face.

"Aik-" Viktor was quickly cut off.

"I don't want be known as Viktor Nikiforov's daughter! I want to be known by my own name. Aiko Katsuki-Nikiforov. I want to pave my own path! I want to be out your shadow Papa!" she yelled, letting go of all of her emotion, now sobbing.

Viktor breath hitched in his throat. He didn't know what to do. This was all his fault. It made his heart ache.

"It wasn't because you a bad coach Papa. You are a great coach. You were great for Dad. You are great for Sanjou and Ryo. But for me…I'm sorry... I should have told you sooner." She said though her tears. "I'm sorry! Gomen Papa. Prosti!" she sobbed, unable to keep her languages straight in her head at the moment.

Viktor stood up, quickly getting up to run to his crying daughter, hugging her tightly running his fingers though her hair. "It's okay. Vse normal'no. Papa zdes'. Papa ponimayet. YA dolzhen byt' odin, govorya zhal'." He whispered into her hair, slipping into his native tongue as well. Aiko wrapped her arms around him tightly, crying into his chest. Yuuri stood off to the side, wiping his stray tears as he watched the tender moment between father and daughter. They hugged for quite a while before Toshiro came running in the kitchen.

"Daddyyyyy. Papaaaaaa. Hungy!" he babbled, unable to fully pronounce the word. Yuuri quickly picked up the small child, making a motion for him to stay quiet for a minute.

Viktor and Aiko pulled apart. Viktor smiled, wiping the tears from Aiko's eyes. "Don't cry anymore milaya. I am truly sorry. I should have just let you be yourself. I promise I will let you be your own person. I am just a parent. I will stay that way if that's what you want." He said softly, kissing her forehead softly. Aiko let a small smile grace her lips before giving him one more hug.

"Thank you for understanding." She said, muffled into his chest. She looked up and gave him a sweet smile; one that reminded him of that very day when she was a child. "I love you Papa."

"I love you too Aiko." He said, kissing the top of her head. He wiped the remaining moisture from his eyes before standing tall. "Now, get cleaned up for dinner. Your Dad made dinner a while ago and we let it get cold."

Aiko nodded and headed out to the bathroom to wash her hands for dinner. Toshiro wiggled out of Yuuri's arms to go follow his sister, leaving the pair in the kitchen. Yuuri walked over to Viktor and put his hand on his shoulder, kissing his cheek.

"You did a good job. I think Aiko can finally be happy on the ice again. It will great to see how this changes her performance."

Viktor nodded, lifting his hand to lace his fingers for Yuuri's. "Yeah. I think I am going to enjoy it. Ya know, being a spectator this time."

Yuuri chuckled and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips before walking over to the stove to prepare everyone's plates for dinner. Both kids came running into the room, laughing loudly as Aiko lifted Toshiro into his booster seat. She sat down as well, looking over at Viktor and smiling again.

Yuuri set down plates of pasta in front of Viktor and Aiko and a small bowl in front of Toshiro. Aiko twisted up a big forkful of pasta before taking a huge bite. Yuuri sat down next Viktor, opening up a beer of his own. Soon everyone was digging in.

"Coach changed the chorography of the step sequence again. She said she wants me to tone it down so that the judges can see my technique instead of putting a lot of complicated elements together just because I can do it." She said, her mouth still full of pasta.

"That makes a lot of sense." He admitted, taking a small bit of pasta.

"I told her I wanted to do a routine where I can show off some of my ballet skills. So she put together a routine that shows off all my technique. I really like it. I think you will too Papa, even though it's a little slow for me."

"That's going to be different for you. You have always had fast-paced and exciting routines." Yuuri pointed out, taking a bite of his dinner.

"That's why I like it so much. Its like a challenge! I am having a hard time now but I know once I finally get it down, it will be awesome!" Aiko said, getting uncharacteristically excited for a moment. She took yet another bite of pasta. Viktor gently smiled.

"We can wait to see it."

The silence in the room began to grow, only the sounds of sliver ware hitting the plates and Toshiro's quiet babbling echoing though the room. Aiko looked up, clearing her throat.

"Daddy? Papa?"

Both men look up at her with questioning eyes.

"Well…I was wondering if…you know since you guys are going to be spectators now that ummm…you could come to the rink to come watch me practice, like all the other kids parents." She asked, the blush creeping up her face. "You don't have to if you and daddy are busy. I don't want to take you guys away from anything."

"We will be there." Viktor said right away, taking another bite off his plate.

"But you have to promise me something Papa."

"And what is that milaya?"

"No suggestions. No asking Coach Yuna to change an element or routine. No sideline coaching. Just watch me, okay?"

Yuuri immediately busted out in a hearty laughter, gently hitting Viktor's shoulder. Viktor felt the tinge of blush cover his cheeks. Was he really that bad?

"Promise me!"

"Okay. Okay I promise. I will just be a spectator." Viktor agreed, taking a sip of his beer.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Aiko said excitedly. Viktor and Yuuri couldn't help but smile. Yuuri reached under the table and laced their fingers together. Viktor leaned in and gave his a quick but sweet kiss.

Toshiro giggled again, clapping his hands at the interaction between his parents. Aiko shook her head and covered her eyes.

"Really? At the dinner table!?" she yelled, shoveling the food in her mouth she could leave the table as soon as she could. "You guys are so embarrassing sometimes!"

Viktor and Yuuri chuckled, returning to eating their dinner.


	2. Nerves

"Guards? Check. Jacket? Extra bobby pins? Check. Lip gloss? Check!" Aiko said to herself as she looked through her skating bag. She was getting ready for a competition this weekend in Kyushu, the first competition with her new coach.

And with her parents being her spectators for the first time. This was going to be interesting.

"Aiko! _Isoide_! We are going to be late if we dont leave now." Yuuri yelled from the front of the house. Aiko quickly threw a book in her bag before zipping it up.

"Coming!" she yelled back. Yuuri was holding Toshiro, who was sleeping in his arms, his head tucked into the crook of his neck. The small boy rustled a bit before wrapping his arms around his daddy's neck, groaning at the sudden noises around him. Yuuri gently sushed him and rubbed his back softly until he fell back to sleep. Viktor had their overnight bags in hand, ready to go with Aiko ran in the room.

"Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes sir."

"Okay. Hopefully, we won't be rushing to the store last minute like last time." Yuuri joked as he headed out the door towards the car. Aiko blushed a little red before heading out after him. Viktor was the last to leave, carefully locking the door behind him.

Viktor loaded up the bags in the back seat while Yuuri put Toshiro in his car seat, hoping he wouldn't wake up from the sudden movement. That child was not a morning person by any means. Having him wake up now would send him into an entire days worth of tantrums and tears. Yuuri managed to buckle him in without waking him and headed up to the passenger's seat. Aiko climbed in afterward, putting on her seatbelt so she could dig through her bag for her headphones. After everyone was in the car, Viktor turned on the car and headed toward Kyushu.

Aiko put in her ear buds, playing the music from her program. She started doing a light practice with her arms, making sure to put emphasis on her facial expressions. _That is what is going to sell the judges. I have to get this right!_ She said to herself as she played the music over again.

Yuuri took a look in the rear view mirror, watching her practice. A soft smile curled on his lips as he watched.

"Viktor. Take a peek. She's practicing back there." Yuuri said in a low voice, pointing to the rear view window. Viktor took a quick peek. A bright smile crossed his lips immediately. It had been a while since she had seen her this excited about a competition. Normally, she would sit in the back and read or sleep for the entire trip. It lit a little fire in his heart.

"She's back." Viktor said, putting his eyes back on the road. "This is going to be a good competition. I'm excited." He said, gripping the wheel a little tighter. Yuuri nodded in agreement, still watching her from the mirror.

Once they got to Kyushu, they checked into their hotel. Thankfully it was nearby the rink, so they could walk over after she was ready. Viktor sat down on the bed next to Toshiro, who was still sleeping soundly. Yuuri pulled out a small bag of hair supplies out of his suitcase and set them out on the counter.

" _Aiko, kite. Anata no kami o sa sete kudasai_." Yuuri spoke, his native language sliding off his tongue effortlessly. He always liked to speak to her in Japanese as often as he could, especially when they are out like this. Since the mainly spoke English in their house, this was a chance to practice her Japanese with others. She was pretty much fluent but since she only uses it at competitions or when she is visiting family, it tended to get a little rusty.

Aiko quickly came out the bathroom, sitting down on the chair in front of Yuuri. He first took a comb through her silver locks first to get out the knots. Yuuri typically does her hair for all of her competitions. Of course she was old enough to do it herself now, but Yuuri couldn't bare the thought of the day that she was ready to do it herself.

"Daddy, can Papa do my hair today please?"

Yuuri stopped what he was doing, looking down at Aiko. "But…I always do your hair." Yuuri said, the sadness slipping out already.

"Just this once. Please?" Aiko said with pleading eyes. Yuuri let out a deep sigh and dropped the brush down on the counter next to him. He sadly made his way to the bed next to Toshi, laying down. Viktor chuckled and headed over to the chair, picking up where Yuuri left off. He quietly worked on her hair, brushing it up into a high ponytail.

"Man. Your hair looks just like mine did when I was your age. It's almost a little creepy how much it reminds me of it." He spoke, pulling the hair tie as tight as he could around her hair. He started on her bun next, braiding the ponytail all the way down.

"It's hard to envision you with long hair Papa. I mean I have seen pictures of it and stuff but it's hard to picture you with hair like that now."

Viktor chuckled and nodded as he continued braiding. "That's funny. Many people had a hard time with my short hair. I mean it was long for most of my life at point. They were not very happy when I cut it. I still have people to this day asking about why I cut my hair. I let it grow out again for a while after your dad and I got married. I liked it. It was almost to the center of my back when I cut it again. I miss it sometimes." He said, finishing up the braid and starting to wrap it around itself, forming a bun on the top of her head. He carefully bobby pinned the entire thing into place, making sure it wouldn't move.

"Why did you cut it again if you liked it so much when it was long?" Aiko asked, trying not to move and mess up what Viktor was doing.

"You liked to pull hair as a baby." Viktor said, flatly, still bobby pinning her bun to place. Aiko gasped and turned around quickly, almost messing up her entire bun. She put her hands on the back of the chair and looked at him in disbelief.

"What!? I am the reason you cut your hair again?"

Viktor gently put his hands on her shoulders and guided her to sit back down. He took a small brush and pushed back some of the fly away hairs.

"When you were a baby, you would wrap your little fingers all through my hair, yanking it every single time you go the chance. Even when I put it in a bun, you would tug and cry for me to pull it out." Viktor explained, chuckling a bit as the memories flooded back into his head.

"Remember when she used to sleep in our bed and you would wake up to her basically tangled in your hair?" Yuuri interrupted, sitting up on the bed now.

"Oh yeah. We didn't have a crib for you for a while so you would sleep in between your dad and I. You would somehow find your way to my hair every single night. At first, your hair obsession was kind of cute. But after a few months, I couldn't take it anymore. So I went out and cut it short again. You were very upset. I think you wouldn't let me hold you for at least 2 weeks. You would just cry." Viktor said, spraying the front of her hair with hairspray to keep it neat.

"I…I can't believe that." Aiko said, her cheeks flushing a light pink.

"It's okay. It was better that way. Could you imagine your 45-year-old Papa with hair down his back?"

"You are right. You wouldn't look like dad with your hair that long. Not saying it wouldn't look good, I'm just saying it wouldn't suit the now version of you." She pointed out, wincing a little bit at Viktor putting her hairpiece down tightly into her head. He touched up a few rough area with a brush and pointed to the mirror.

"There you go. All done."

Aiko jumped out the chair and gave him a huge hug and kiss on the cheek. "It looks great! Thanks papa!"

Viktor smiled and hugged her back for a minute before letting her go. "Now go get dressed, Coach Yuna is probably already at the rink." He said, gently pushing her towards her bag. She nodded in agreement, rushing to grab her bag and heading into the bathroom.

Yuuri was scrolling through his phone when he heard a soft whine come from the bathroom.

"Daddy! Come here! I can't get this thing on right!" Aiko whined from the bathroom. Viktor walked up to the door and gently opened it. Aiko quickly stuck her head out the door and pushed him away. "I said Daddy. Not Papa."

Yuuri laughed loudly as walked up to the bathroom door. "She is getting bolder. I like it." He said before stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind them. Viktor scoffed and walked over to the bed, checking on Toshiro. He was starting to wake up, wiggling around in the sheets and whining.

"Papa. Papa." He cried, finally sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Viktor smiled softly and pulled the boy into his lap.

"Good morning. Are you ready to go watch your sister skate today?"

Toshiro responded by burying his face into his chest. Viktor ran his fingers through his son's hair before laying a kiss on the crown of his head. "I am going to take that as a yes."

After some time, both Yuuri and Aiko emerge from the bathroom. Viktor's jaw drops as he sees his daughters new costume for the first time.

The color drew his eye first. It was a crisp white that faded down into a pale blue color as it reached the trim of the flowy skirt. It has long sleeves, adorned with sparkles and small crystals. The entire bodice was covered in pale blue crystals as well. The costume hung onto her shoulders, the back of the costume dipping all the way down to her lower back, showing off her carved back muscles.

"Isn't she beautiful Viktor? This is her first 'adult' type costume. How do you like it sweetie?" Yuuri asked Aiko.

"I'm not used to showing so much skin but I like it. I think it suits my body well." She said, looking in the mirror at herself.

Viktor sat, still speechless, on the bed. It finally hit him that his baby girl, wasn't a baby anymore. She was a beautiful young woman now and this short program was going to show that. Toshiro climbed out the bed and ran over to his sister, arms in the hair. Aiko smiled and picked him up. He wrapped his arms around her neck, giving her a tight hug.

"Sister is pretty! Pretty Sissy!" He babbled out. Yuuri nodded and grabbed him from her.

"Don't go messing up Aiko's costume okay? It is white." Yuuri pointed out as the small boy cuddled into his dad's chest. Viktor finally stood up, walking over to Aiko. He grabbed her hand and have her a quick twirl with a smile.

"You look like an angel Aiko. It's hard to believe my baby girl is all grown up. It was just yesterday you were yanking on my hair in my sleep."

"Papa, You act like you have never seen me in a pretty costume before."

"Yeah but this is different. This is my first time watching you objectively. I've been coaching you since you could walk. I've picked all your music, costumes, and even hair styles. This is my first time just looking at you instead of thinking of your entire performance."

Aiko lips curled into a smile.

"Well, I hope I make you and Daddy proud today."

"You already have." He said, kissing her forehead. Yuuri walked over to his husband and stood close, looking at Aiko.

"We have always been proud of you Aiko. You have always blown us away. I'm sure you never noticed but your Papa is always has been surprised by you. You should have seen him when you landed your first triple Axel in competition. He put his fists in the air and started screaming. He just kept shaking my arm 'Yuuri! Yuuri! She did it! She did it! Clean landing and all!'."

Aiko blushed a bright red and turned her head. "You guys are so embarrassing" she manages, grabbing her jacket, putting it on she slipped on her workout pants as well.

"Can we go now? Coach Yuna already texted me and asked where I was."

Viktor smiled and nodded, grabbing her skating bag for her. Yuuri grabbed Toshiro, holding him on his hip. They all walked out together, heading to the rink.

"Dad. My hair looks fine! I have to go!" Aiko's, whined, trying to pry her way out of Yuuri's hands.

"Just let me a fix your hair piece quickly okay? It's flopping in a weird way." He said, fumbling with it to make it stay. Aiko sighed deeply and sat quietly.

"Okay. All finished. Don't forget to stretch out good! Remember to be yourself and keep your form tight in your jumps!"

"Daddy!"

"Sorry sweetie."

Aiko grabbed her bag from Viktor, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She ran over to Yuuri and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She reached down and ruffled her little brother's hair before running off to meet her coach.

Viktor let out a deep sigh and grabbed Yuuri's free hand and Toshiro's hand as well. Yuuri started walking to the stands nearby, picking a seat in the front.

"This is strange."

"What's strange?"

"Being on this side of the barrier. I'm not a spectator often. This is going to take some getting used to."

"It will be refreshing. We can just watch and not worry about anything. I'm sure Toshi is happy to actually see his sister skate as well. He hardly gets to see her."

Toshiro smiled and nodded. "Sissy skate now?"

"Not yet. We have to wait for her turn. " he said, kissing his forehead gently. Toshiro lets out a frustrated sigh and sat back against Yuuri's chest. Yuuri gently wrapped his arms around the boy and smiled.

The rink was beginning to fill up as it got closer to the start of the competition. Viktor kept his eyes wondering, seeing if he could see Aiko warming up on the side. Yuuri put a gentle hand on his shoulder to bring his attention back.

"She will be fine. Relax. She is in good hands." He said, gently rubbing his shoulder. Viktor nodded and leaned over to give him a quick peck on the cheek and a soft kiss on the lips.

Toshiro giggled, grabbing Yuuri's face and placed messy kisses all over. Yuuri laughed softly and ruffled his blond locks. Viktor smiled as well, taking his phone out to snap a picture, quickly posting it to Instagram with the caption " _My boys having some fun today at Aiko's competition_ ". Before he even got the chance to put his phone away, Toshiro jumped into his lap.

"You too Papa!" Toshiro said, placing the same messy kisses all over his face. Viktor wrapped his arms around the small boy, laughing wholeheartedly. The moment was short lived as the starting announcement echoed through the rink.

"Skaters. Take the ice for your 6 minute warm up."

Both Viktor and Yuuri's eyes immediately darted to the ice. Aiko was taking her guards off at the entrance and handing them to her coach. The older woman put her hands on her shoulder, telling her something that causes Aiko to smile before starting her warm up. Aiko skated on to the ice, doing a rough run through of her choreography, practicing her facials once again. She did a few easy jumps to get her blood flowing as well.

"She's not so stiff today. " Yuuri pointed out.

"Yeah but you can tell she's thinking a little too much. She's nervous." Viktor said, leaning forward a bit to get a better look.

Soon the warm up was over and the competition began. Aiko was the last to skate out of the 6 girls that were there. Unlike the other domestic competitions, she had skated in recently, she didn't know any of the girls here. She was trying to gauge the talent as she watched the girls from the sideline. They were good. Their programs were filled with high-level complicated elements. They weren't holding anything back. Aiko started to think that maybe this routine wasn't enough. Her nervousness was peaking at this point, causing her to go over every move in her head. She shoved her headphones back into her ears and started to blare her music as she stretched, hoping that would take some of the edge off.

Yuuri and Viktor looked at each other, a worried look in their eyes. They knew that look that Aiko was giving all too well. It was similar to Yuuri's. She was letting the nervousness and anxiety take over. Being in the stands right now was killing them. They knew exactly what to do to get her motivated again. They would take her to the back, let her stretch and talk to her about the program. They knew what could happen if she stayed this nervous. She would mess up, flub all her jumps, and possibly hurt herself. Yuuri reached over and grabbed Viktor's hand, squeezing it tightly, keeping his eyes on the ice.

"Last up we have 13-year-old Aiko Katsuki-Nikiforov of Hatseau!" the announcer blared out. The cheers filled the rink as she skated into the ice and greeted the crowd. Both Yuuri and Viktor stood up and started cheering for her.

" _Davai! Davai_ _milaya!"_ Viktor yelled, making sure he could hear her.

"You can do it sweetie! Just relax!" Yuuri said right after, picking up Toshiro so he could cheer his sister on as well.

"Go Sister! Go!" Toshiro yelled, waving his hands for her to see. Aiko looked over and flashed a quick smile before getting into her starting position.

"Aiko will be skating to Set Apart This Dream." The announcer continued.

The rink went quiet as the music fills the rink. Aiko smiled and looked lovingly at her parents as she started the routine.

Yuuri and Viktor sat on the edge of their seat, watching each move closely. They had seen her practice this routine countless times already, but something changed. They could see in the way she was skating; she was truly enjoying herself for the first time in years. A smile was plastered on her face as she went on to prepare for her first jump, a triple loop.

She jumped, getting in the right amount of rotations and landing cleanly. A perfect jump. Viktor cheered loudly, keeping his eyes glued on her. She was doing great already.

"The idea for a routine based on her ballet skills was brilliant. It really shows how mature a skater she can be." Yuuri said to Viktor. Viktor agreed, picking up Toshiro and holding him on his hip so she could see Aiko as well.

She was incredibly graceful, each movement looking like it was coming naturally to her. Everything was clean and precise but nothing looked overly rehearsed. It was a perfect balance. She started her combination spin, starting out with a camel spin that slowly changed into a layback. As she continued in the layback spin, she grabbed her skate and lifted her leg up, ending in a Bielmann spin. The crowd roared, helping her keep her momentum going. She was well into the 2nd half of the program and she still had a step sequence as well 2 more jumps.

Aiko took a deep breath as she prepared herself for her next jump, a triple axel. Viktor stood up, knowing that her jump was next. Aiko dug her toe pick into the ice, launching her into the jump.

She lost her footing on the landing, sending her falling onto the ice hard. Both Viktor and Yuuri gasped, worried that she may have hurt herself in her fall. She quickly got up and skated it off. She had to skate on. Next was her step sequence.

It was slower than what she was normally used to do doing so she was able to concentrate and really focus on making each movement of her foot as clean as possible. But the fall was still lingering in her mind, causing her to mess up a few of her her steps. She closed her eyes and pushed through the sequence.

Sweat was dripping through her hair and she could hardly keep her breath at this point. Even though the routine was slower than what she was used to, the actual movements were much more intense. Her legs were burning; her arms were getting tired. She was already disappointed in herself. She just wanted it to end but she still had one more jump, a triple toe loop, in the finale.

She tried to calm herself down before this last jump, taking a few deep breaths as she went into it. Her fatigue got the best of her and her skate wobbled on the ice in the landing, causing her to put both hands on the ice to keep from falling. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. This was supposed to be the perfect routine. It was supposed to show her parents that they made the right decision to let her have a different coach. It was supposed to be the routine that made her fall in love with skating again.

She finally was in her finishing position. The program was finally over. She couldn't hear anything over her ragged breathing. She was holding her tears back. She still had to greet the audience and she couldn't do that with tears in her eyes. She mustered up a smile, lifting her arms to greet the audience once more.

Yuuri, Viktor, and even Toshiro cheered as loud as they could for her. They wanted her to know that no matter what happened out there, they still loved her and thought she did an amazing job.

She skated to her coach, who handed her her guards and gave her a huge hug. She buried her face in her coach's chest, letting some of the held back tears loose.

"She's upset." Yuuri said plainly, watching it all play out. Viktor nodded and sat back down in his seat. Yuuri followed suit, pulling Toshiro onto his lap as well.

"She still did great for her first time skating that program in public. Her moves were graceful and beautiful. It really did show how mature she is. With even more practice, this routine could be amazing. But messing up that jump really got to her. She couldn't recover after that. It's upsetting to see her like this." Viktor said, running a hand through his hair.

Aiko and her coach, Yuna, were sitting in the kiss and cry waiting for the scores. Aiko's eyes were still red as she pulled her jacket on, zipping it closed. She grabbed the bouquet of flowers next to her and hugged them to her chest. She wasn't ready to see her score. She knew it wasn't going to be nice.

"Aiko Katuski-Nikiforov gets a 53.75 for her short program."

Aiko lets her head hang low, hoping that that would keep her tears at bay. Yuna pulls her into a hug and stroked her shoulder.

"It's okay Aiko-chan. This is the first time you have skated this program. Once we iron out everything, it will enough to send you to the Junior World Championships. This isn't a bad score at all, So don't worry." Yuna said, trying to comfort her. She knew exactly why she was upset. It wasn't because she thought it wasn't good.

It was because it was the first time without her parents by her side coaching and she had one of her worst performances to date.

Aiko was currently sitting in 5th place at the end of the day. One of the other girls had an even worse day than she did, keeping her out the last spot. She still had the free program tomorrow but in order to medal, she would have to pull out all the stops.

Yuuri and Viktor were waiting for her right outside the rink. Toshiro had enough excitement for the day and was sleeping peacefully in Viktor's arms, his sleepy head resting on his shoulder. Viktor rubbed his back softly, trying to keep in asleep through all of the chaos that was ensuing outside of the rink. Yuuri finally spotted Aiko and Yuna and motioned them over to where they were. Yuuri pulled Aiko in a tight hug as soon as she got there. He kissed her forehead gently and looked into her eyes.

"You were beautiful out there Aiko. All mistakes aside, you did an amazing job." He said, pushing a few loose hairs out of her face. Aiko could feel the tears falling down her face.

"I'm sorry. I know you and Papa taught me better than that. I'm sure you are regretting letting me go get a new coach."

"Aiko. We are not upset. Not in the least bit. Your dad and I haven't seen you that happy to skate in years. Before you fell, you were smiling and happy. That emotion you were feeling showed in your skating. You were graceful and everything looked like it came natural to you. That's the Aiko we missed. The one that begged us every day to take you to the rink. The one that wanted to stay longer to make sure you understood everything. The one who loved every second out there on the ice. That's the Aiko we saw today. We couldn't be more proud right now. You have grown into a beautiful skater and we can't' wait to see what this program will look like when it's perfected." Viktor admitted. Yuuri agreed with him, giving her one last hug.

"Don't give up now. You still have your free skate tomorrow. So let's get back to the room, run you a hot bath and get a good night's rest. You can still make it as long as you stay focused." Yuuri said.

"Your dad is right Aiko. Don't worry about today anymore. What is done is done. We must focus on tomorrow's free skate. So get a good nights sleep and I will see you tomorrow morning." Coach Yuna said, reaching over to give a quick hug before leaving.

"Thank you coach! See you tomorrow!" Aiko yelled as she walked away. Yuuri draped his arm around her shoulder as they started to walk towards the hotel room.

"When you go into your triple axel, make sure to-" Viktor started.

"Papa, remember your promise! No coaching!"

"I'm just giving a friendly pointer. Can I not give you some advice, one skater to another?"

Aiko gave him a stern look, one that rivaled Yuuri's in intensity. She really did take after him. Viktor let out a nervous chuckle, pulling Toshi up on his body.

"You look just like Yuuri when you do that. Its unnerving how much you act like him."

Aiko felt her cheeks redden. "Both of you say the same thing! Daddy says I look like you papa and You say I look like Daddy. Why can't I just look like Aiko?" She grumbled, crossing her arms across the chest.

"Looks like Toshi isn't the only one with a little attitude." Viktor pointed out, his smile almost ear to ear.

Aiko wiggled out of Yuuri's embrace and started to walk ahead of them, feeling her face get even hotter. Both men laughed, admiring her as she walked away. Yuuri reached down, grabbing his husband's free hand, lacing his fingers with his.

"She really is all grown up. Before we know it, we will be giving her away at her wedding." Yuuri said solemnly.

Viktor quickly turned his head and shook his head violently. "I don't want to think about my baby girls wedding! She is still my baby girl, no matter how old she gets."

Yuuri laughed softly, squeezing his hand. "Same here but you can deny she is a young woman now. We can't stop her."

"Not if I can help it!"

Aiko ended up placing 3rd in the overall. She skated a near flawless free skate program, boosting her up enough to make the podium. Her smile was bright enough to light up the entire rink. After the medal ceremony, Aiko went running into Viktor's arms.

"You see that Papa! Did you see it?" She said excitedly, almost like a child again.

"Of course we did. You did amazing Aiko! Your dad and I are so proud." He said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head a few times.

"Don't worry. Next competition I will nail my short program and bring home 1st place." She said, burying her face in her Papa's jacket. "Coach Yuna wants to aim for the Junior World Championships this year since I finally 13." She said quietly.

"Do you think you are ready? It's not going to be easy by any means. You will have to work very hard, almost to the point of exhaustion. We will support you no matter what you choose, but know that this isn't an easy feat." Viktor said, this tone getting serious. He pushed her back a little so he could see her face. She was an open book just like Yuuri. He would be able to tell if she doubted herself in a moments notice. He looked at her face for any bit of hesitation, but she stood strong.

"I am ready. I have been skating my whole life to get to this point. Plus, how am I supposed to escape the 'legendary Viktor Nikiforov' narrative if I don't go out and make a name for myself?" she said, her lips curling to a smile. Viktor smiled and picked her up, swinging her around before putting her back on the ground.

"That's my girl!"

Toshiro walked up to his sister, his arms raised. Aiko picked him and gave him a big hug.

"Did I do a good job Toshi?" she asked the toddler. Toshiro nodded furiously. She giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Viktor snapped another picture of the 2, relishing in the moment.

"That's Instagram-worthy? Don't you think Yuuri?" Viktor asked, putting his arm around the smaller man's waist. Yuuri nodded in agreement.

Aiko turned red, slinging Toshiro on her hip now. "I swear that is all you 2 do. Post pictures of us on Instagram. I hope I don't look as bad as I did in the last picture." She groaned, walking away from the 2, towards the hotel room.

"You didn't look bad! It was cute _milaya._ "

Aiko scoffed and pulled Toshi closer to her as she continued walking. Toshiro leaned in and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, letting his head rest in the crook of her neck. Yuuri took out his phone and took a picture of the 2 siblings, posting it to his Instagram promptly with the caption _I couldn't be more proud of my little girl today. She is truly growing up to be a wonderful young woman._


	3. Birthday Wishes

"Please tell me you ordered the cake Viktor. Don't tell me you forgot." Yuuri said, taping up various streamers and decorations around the house.

"I didn't. I ordered it last week. White cake with strawberry filling with green and blue frosting. I remembered." Viktor said, his reading glasses set on the front of his nose, looking at his notebook. Viktor was always working on new routines, even on the morning of his sons 2nd birthday. They were expecting a full house today and Yuuri had spent the last few days cleaning up and making sure everything was perfect.

"Did you wake him up?" Viktor asked.

"Of course I didn't. You think _I_ want to deal with that temper tantrum? No thank you. His 'Papa' can wake him if he wants him awake."

"It's his birthday. He shouldn't be that bad."

"And I'm not going to find out." Yuuri said flatly, hanging up the last of the decorations, stepping back to look at everything. Viktor let out a deep sigh and pushed his glasses up to the top of his head. He set the notebook down next to him.

"Is Aiko awake? She should be helping you out."

" _You_ should be helping me out Viktor. You know he is your son too." Yuuri snapped back.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Yuuri rolled his eyes before fixing some of the things around the room, making sure it was perfect.

"Well can you at least help me hang the banner up?"

Viktor nodded and got up, grabbing the banner off the counter nearby.

"Put it in the middle."

Viktor lifted his arms, lifting the banner over his head. "Here?"

"To the left a few steps."

Viktor took a few steps to the left. "Here?"

"A little bit more."

Viktor took another step.

"Too much. I just needed you to move a little."

Viktor sighed deeply and moved slightly back.

"Maybe just-"

"Yuuri!"

"I was just joking! Hold it still, I am going to tape it up." Yuuri said, grabbing the tape and taping the banner up to the wall. They both took a huge step back and looked at it. "Happy 2nd birthday Toshiro" it read.

"They are growing up too fast." Viktor said, putting his arm around Yuuri's waist. Yuuri nodded and rested his head against the edge of his shoulder.

Their brief moment was interrupted by the sound of a cry from the back of the house. Yuuri sighed and shook his head. Viktor brushed a few stray hairs from his husbands face before kissing him on the cheek.

"I got it. You just finish up in here. People should be here soon and the birthday boy has to be ready." Viktor said with a smile on his face. He walked to the back of the house and walked into the crying child's room.

"What's wrong _malyutka?_ A birthday boy shouldn't be crying!" he said, picking up the crying child.

"Sleepy! I sleepy!" he cried, rubbing his wet eyes.

"But it's your birthday today Toshi. You have to get ready for the party! Everyone will there."

The child still continued to cry into his Papa's shoulder.

"If you don't get ready, you wont be able to get any cake or presents." Viktor said, a smirk forming on his lips. Toshiro looked at him, still rubbing his eyes.

"Cake?"

"Well its your birthday _simpatichnyy mal'chik_! Its not a birthday without cake."

The toddler suddenly stopped crying, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes. Viktor smiled and placed a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"Now lets you all cleaned up!"

Yuuri was putting the final touches on everything, putting the birthday cake right in the center of the table. He smiled, taking pride in his decorating achievement.

Viktor came walking into the kitchen, his shirt wet in the front and his long sleeve rolled up. He ran a hand though his hair as he looked around the house.

"Looks like bath time was fun." Yuuri joked, chuckling. Viktor shot him a quick look before laughing a little himself.

"He was too excited about the cake." Viktor said with a big smile on his face. Soon the toddler came running in, all dressed in ready to go. He was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans, a little faded in some spots as well as a royal blue button up shirt. His bright blond hair was slightly slicked back out of his face, a few strands of hair still loose on the sides.

"Look at you! _Watashi no chīsana tanjōbi no otokonoko!"_ Yuuri exclaimed, picking up the boy and covering his face in little kisses. "You look so handsome Toshiro."

Toshiro giggled, gently pushing his face away. "Daddy!" , he started, " _Yam-eru_!" he babbled out. Yuuri laughed and stopped.

"What? Are you too old for Daddy to give you kisses now?" he asked, putting on a fake frown. Toshiro's expression suddenly changed, thinking he made Yuuri upset. He started placing kisses all over Yuuri's face as an apology. Yuuri smiled and held him tightly. He set him down and Toshiro ran straight to the cake table.

"No cake yet Toshi. That's not until later." Viktor said sternly, rolling back down his sleeves and fixing his hair. Toshiro crossed his arms around his chest, huffing loudly.

"Toshiro."

The small child was not happy. He puffed out his cheeks and hugged his arms to his chest tighter. The tantrum was coming and Viktor was not going to have it.

"Viktorovich! _Dostatochno!_ If you throw a tantrum, you wont be getting any cake." Viktor said, putting his foot down for once. Yuuri was shocked. It wasn't often that Viktor would reprimand the boy. So when he did, it shook Toshiro to his core. The boy unfolded his arms and ran off to the next room. Viktor let out a deep sigh.

"That boy. He's going to be the death of me."

"You did want a mini you, right?" Yuuri said, a smile playing over his lips. Viktor rolled his eyes and sat down in a nearby chair.

 ** _Knock Knock Knock_**

Yuuri walked over to the door, opening it to reveal his mother, father, sister, and Minako. Yuuri smiled brightly and greeted them all with a hug.

"Thank you for coming." Yuuri said, allowing them in the door.

"Its my grandson's birthday. Of course we would be there!" Yuuri father exclaimed, hauling in a large bag of gifts.

"Are those from all of you, or just from you and mom?" Yuuri asked, a little concerned.

"From all of us. We buy the boy stuff all the time, no need to spoil him now." The older man said, dropping the gifts off by the table in the living room.

"Where's the birthday boy?" Yuuri's mom asked loudly, making sure the toddler could hear. Toshrio came running out the back and ran right into her arms.

" _Obāchan!"_ he yelled, hugging her legs.

"Oh Toshiro, you look very handsome! I see your dad is letting your hair grow."

Yuuri rolled his eyes and headed into the kitchen to get the snacks ready. The door opened up and more people flowed in; this time it was 2 small families from the rink. One family, the Nakamura's, had a 11-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl. The other, the Toyama's, had twin 4-year-old boys, a 7-year-old, and a 14-year-old boy The youngers kids from each family ran off right away, going to play with Toshiro.

Yuuri set out the snacks as the house began to fill up. He walked to the back, knocking on Aiko's door. "Aiko! Are you going to come out? People have already started coming. Your grandparents are here!" he said though the door. He heard rustling in the room and a loud crash.

"Aiko! Are you okay in there? I heard a loud noise."

"I-I'm fine! I will be out in a second!" She yelled.

Yuuri sighed and walked away back towards the guests in the living room.

"Yuuuurriiii!" a familiar voice echoed thought he room. Phichit stood in front of Yuuri, a large gift bag in one hand and his cell phone in the other. Yuuri walked over and gave him a huge hug.

"I am really glad you could come. Toshiro will be happy to see you."

"I already saw him. I took a selfie with him! Look!" he said, unlocking his phone and showing him the Instagram post. He was quicker than he thought.

"You two are cute. I like it." Yuuri said, looking closer at the picture.

"He really starting to look like you Yuuri. I mean he has the blond hair and blue eyes but he totally has your facial structure an everything!" he said, taking his phone and scrolling though his notifications. "Who else is coming? You know, from the old days." He said with a laugh.

"I am not sure. I mean I sent out invites but I not sure who is going to show up." Yuuri said, heading towards the living room to see if anyone else showed up.

"Oi! Katsudon! About time you came out of hiding!" Yuri said, holding Toshiro on his hip.

"Ah! I'm sorry. I was trying to get Aiko out of her room." He said, walking toward the younger man. He stood tall, wearing a pair of slightly baggy black jeans and a tank top with a large tiger head on the front. His long blond hair tied up in a messy bun sitting on the back of his neck.

"Tell her to bring her ass out here. Her uncle is here and wants to talk to her. I have some words for her about her most recent competition." He said, pulling Toshiro up higher on hip.

"Language, Yura. You are holding a child." Otabek reprimanded, sitting in a chair in behind them.

"Its still a sore spot with her. I wouldn't bring it up. She's getting feisty now ya know. Her attitude could rival yours when you were 13." Viktor said, coming out the kitchen with a beer in hand. Yuri scoffed and rolled his eyes at both men. He walked to the back of the house to Aiko's room. He banged on the door loudly, "Aiko! Get out here!" he said. Aiko opened the door quickly, her brows furrowed.

"You don't have to be so rude! I was coming out in a moment." She said, the frustration dripping from her voice. She was wearing a light blue summer type dress. It was shorter than what she would normally wear; it went to high on her thighs, but still flowy and airy. Her sliver hair was curled lightly, complimenting the thin straps of the dress. But the most shocking of it all was the pink lip gloss across her lip and subtle eyeliner wing across her eyelid. Yurio cocked his head and gives her accepting face.

"You look nice. That dress suits you Kio." He said, using her nickname.

"Thank you…" she said quietly, walking towards the living room to her parents. She went to greet her grandparents first, then greeting the rest of her family and friends.

"She looks nice today. I wonder why she's all dressed up." Viktor said, taking a sip of the beer in his hand. Yuuri, Phichit, and even Yuri looked over at Viktor in disbelief.

"Isn't it obvious?" Phichit said, looking up from his phone. Viktor looked at him in confusion, tilting his head a little.

"What? What's obvious?"

"Are you that damn dense Viktor?" Yuri groaned, putting Toshiro down so he could go play with the other boys.

"I don't understand." Viktor said clearly.

"That Toyama boy is here. What is his name again?" Yuuri said, searching his mind for the name. "Ah! Hikaru! Toyama Hikaru. He skates at the rink with Aiko. They have been talking a lot lately. I think she has quite the crush on him." He said. Viktor's brows furrowed as she looked up to see Aiko talking to the boy.

"How long have you known this Yuuri?" Viktor grumbled, putting his beer on a nearby table. Yuuri shrugs his shoulder.

"She hasn't told me directly. But it is pretty obvious. I know a crush when I see one." Yuuri said, grabbing Viktor's hand, hoping it would bring him down. "She's 13 Viktor. You knew this day was going to come."

"Let her have some fun for once Vitya." Yuri said, going to sit down next to Otabek.

"He won't let that happen. She's still 4 years old in his eyes." Yuuri said, crossing his arms across his chest. "I mean, she is 13 and he finally let her wear a costume that doesn't look like she's a 6-year-old in their first competition."

"I bet he still thinks that she thinks boys are gross." Phichit commented.

"I agree." Otabek added.

Viktor frowned and sat back in the chair. "That's not true! I just...she's not ready yet!"

"I beg to differ." Yuri said, motioning over to Aiko and Toyama, sitting on the couch next to each other talking. Both teens were red faced and giggling. A true display of young love.

It made Viktor's stomach churn. He still hadn't accepted the fact that she is grown up. In his eyes, she is still the little girl who cried when she spilled water on her dress. He crossed his arms across his chest and let out a soft sigh. Yuuri stood next to him and ran his fingers though his hair to calm him down.

"It'll be okay. She can be a woman and still be your baby Viktor." Yuuri said, still combing though his hair with his fingers. Viktor nodded and smiled softly at his husband, guiding him to let on the edge of his lap. He loosely wrapped his arm around the younger mans waist.

"Papa! Daddy!"

Both men turned around to meet the 2-year old's eyes. The boy ran over to the couple, standing in front of them.

"Yes Toshi?" Yuuri asked, leaning down a bit to maintain eye contact.

"Cake time?" he asked quietly, shifting his weight back in forth, like he was in trouble.

"Not yet. Not everyone is here yet." Yuuri said, making an excuse to delay the cake for at least another hour or so. The toddler sulked, letting his shoulders fall forward.

"Are you making my nephew cry?" Yuri said loudly, causing Toshiro to turn around and run into his lap. He crawled into the space between Yuri and Otabek, burying his face in Otabek's side. The dark haired man pulled Toshiro into his lap quietly, gently holding him against him

"No I am not. I simply told him he couldn't have any cake yet. He already got in trouble earlier, which is why he is sucking up to you." Viktor pointed out.

"It's his birthday. Let the boy have his damn cake!" Yuri snapped, running his hand through the boy's blond hair.

"It's too early for that. He can wait a little while longer. It wont kill him."

"Come here Toshi." He said, pulling the boy from Otabek and putting him on his own lap. "I know Papa Viktor is mean. You shouldn't be sad on your birthday. How about you open up your present from _Dyadya_ Otabek and I early?"

Viktor shot him a hardened glare and Yuri smirked in return. The boy nodded furiously and leaped off his lap.

"Where is it? Where is it?" he asked, practically jumping out of his seat. Yuri laughed and stood up, grabbing a small cheetah print covered box on the gift table. He set it down in front of Toshi and sat back down next to his own husband, a smile plastered on his face. The boy stared at the box for a while, waiting for permission to open it.

"It's okay Toshi. Go ahead and open it." Otabek said before standing up and heading out the room. The toddler dropped down to his knees and started to tear the cheetah print paper off the box. It was a typical cardboard box. It confused the boy. He held it up to Yuri.

" _Dyadya._ Why you get me a box?" Toshiro said, very much confused. The group started to laugh a little at the boy's reaction.

"You have to _open_ the box Toshi." Yuri said, still laughing a bit. He grabbed the box and pulled the tape off the front so he could open it easier. He handed the box back. Toshiro opened up the box and what looked like a small collar with a bell on it. He cocked his head at the gift and pulled it out the box to show everyone.

A few seconds later, Otabek walked back into the room with something in his arms. He walks over to Toshiro and got down on his knees, revealing the true gift in his arms, a small gray and white kitten. Yuri walked over to his husband and pulled the kitten from his arms, it made a soft meow and Toshiro's eyes lit up.

"For me?"

"For you _malyutka_." Yuri said in a soft tone, petting the kitten. "I remember how much you loved my cats when you came to visit me last time, so I got you your own. Toshiro, meet Bebe."

"Bebe." The boy repeated softly. Toshiro's eyes were glued to the cat, petting it softly with Yuri. The boy looked over at his parents, worried.

"Are Papa and Daddy going to be mad?" Toshiro asked, looking up in Yuri's eyes. That look nearly melted him. For someone who never really showed much interest in children, Yuri was very much attached.

"Nope. I already told them I wanted to get a kitty and they told me it was okay. Now Toshi, listen closely. Bebe is not a toy. She is a real animal. He eats and breathes just like you do. So treat her with respect and she will learn to love you very much. I know you are too little to care for Bebe so your parents and Kio are going to be taking care of her until you are old enough to take care of her yourself, okay?"

The younger blond nodded, petting the kitty again. Bebe purred softly, causing Toshiro to let out a soft gasp.

" _Dyadya!"_

"I know. I know. It means she likes you." He said, putting the small animal down on the floor. Toshiro plopped down on the floor and watched the cat curl up and relax. Yuuri and Viktor smiled, giving a thumbs up to both Yuri and Otabek. They had been planning this surprise for weeks now. Yuuri and Viktor went to a nearby shelter and picked out a kitten that they thought Toshiro would like. They sent pictures to Yuri in Russia, going though many kittens before getting the final approval on Bebe. Yuri sent the money to pay for the fees and had a special cat collar made for the occasion. The kitten was staying at Yuuri's parents house up until todays party. All of it was worth it though, just seeing the look on Toshiro's face as he saw that kitten.

"You just had to give him the big gift first huh? How is any of this going to compete with a kitten?" Phichit asked.

"Do you want to open the rest of your gifts Toshi?" Yuuri asked. The toddler looked up and flashed a smile that could have lit up the entire room. He nodded and carefully scooped up the kitten, holding it like a baby over to the gift table. He slowly laid the kitten down next to him and ran his fingers over her fur gently before reaching for the pile of gifts Viktor had laid out in front of him.

The toddler was surrounded by all kinds of toys and clothes and other gifts but all he could think about was Bebe, who was sound asleep next to him.

"See! I told you we couldn't compete with a cat!" Phichit exclaimed, crossing his arms across his chest.

"He appreciates all his gifts. Even the ones from his Uncle Phichit. You do have to remember he is only 2." Yuuri explained, reaching down to pick up his son. The boy leaned his head against his Dad's shoulder and wrapped his arms around his neck. Yuuri laid a small kiss on his forehead.

"You can't be sleepy yet. It's time for cake!" Yuuri said, pushing his stray hair back out of the sleepy child's eyes. Toshiro perked up.

"Cake time?"

"Yes Toshi. Cake time."

The boys wiggled his way out of Yuuri's arms and ran over to the cake table. Everyone followed into the kitchen. Viktor was already in there, setting up the candles on the cake. Yuuri picked up Toshiro and put him on a chair so he could see over the table. Viktor lit the candles and turned off the lights. Viktor and Yuuri stood on either side of the boy with Aiko being behind him, running her fingers though his hair.

"Okay, 1.2.3!" Yuuri counted down before everyone started singing together. Toshiro looked around at all the people singing. A smile graced his lips as he looked back at the cake.

 ** _Happy birthday dear Toshi._**

 ** _Happy birthday to you!_**

"Blow out your candles and make a wish!" Viktor encouraged, putting his hand on his shoulder. The toddler leaned over and blew out all the candles. Yuri leaned over and grabbed a chunk of the cake and smashed it in the toddlers face. He wiped some of the cake from his face and put some on Yuri's face. They both started laughing loudly, everyone else following suit.

"Thank you all for coming! We really appreciate it!" Yuuri said, greeting his guests out the door, a sleeping Toshiro on his shoulder. Yuuri's mother gave the blond boy a kiss on his head befoe giving Yuuri a hug.

"Bye guys. Thanks for coming. I'll probably stop by with the kids next week. I think we all need a day at the onsen."

Yuuri mother nodded and gave Yuuri a kiss on his cheek before they all left the house. Phichit walked over and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Thanks for inviting me Yuuri. I was great to see everyone again. We need to hang out more often! The kids are growing up too fast." He said, giving Yuuri a hug.

"I know. I know. Maybe on Aiko's next school holiday, we will go visit Thailand."

"Yes! I have my own place now so you guys can stay there! You will just have to share a room with my hamsters."

Yuuri chuckled and nodded. "Sounds great Phichit. Thanks again for coming. Toshi was very happy to see his Uncle Phichit."

Phichit gave Yuuri another hug and waved off to everyone else. "Bye guys!"

Soon, the house was pretty quiet and the soft snores of the sleeping toddler filled Yuuri's ears. But that was only short lived.

"Katsudon! Where are Beka and I sleeping? I know you have a guest room in here somewhere. I haven't been in this new house of yours." Yuri said, from the couch where he was cuddling up with his husband. Yuuri shot a look over at the older blond, pointing to the sleeping child in his arms.

"I wasn't aware that you were staying." Viktor said, his attitude slipping out as he cleaned up the trash around the house.

"You 2 assholes don't let me see my niece and nephew enough so we decided we are going to stay for a bit since we are on break from training." Yuri said, leaning back against Otabek's chest. "Plus, I have never seen Kio skate in person so I want to see her in a competition. She has one next week right?"

"Wait!" Aiko said, running from the back of the house after overhearing the conversation. "Uncle Yurio, you are going to one of my competitions?!" Yuri laughed and sat up on the couch.

"Yup. Now that your finally broke free from your parents, I can see you skate the way you were meant to." He said, resting his hands on his knees. "Also, since I am here, we are going to be brushing up on your ballet. I saw your short program. I can tell you haven't been to class in a while."

Aiko felt her face get hot. She was still embarrassed by the performance. "Well…I umm.." she said, searching for an excuse. Yuri shook his head and stood up, he put his hands on her shoulders.

"Don't make excuses. You want to get to the Junior World Championships right?"

Aiko nodded.

"Then it starts now. You have to give your everything. You will be competing with people way older than you and probably with more skill than you. But You have to stand your ground now and show them you aren't going anywhere. You already have big shoes to fill with that last name of yours but I've watched you grow as a skater and I know for a fact you can go out there and kick everyone's ass. You just have to be willing to put the work in. Are you willing?" Yuri asked, looking into her hazel eyes. She nodded slowly.

"Yes. I want to win." She said fiercely. Yuri felt his lips curl into a smile.

"That's what I wanted to hear." He said, giving her a hug and kissing her head. "Now go to sleep. I have plans for you tomorrow." He said, pushing her towards her room. Aiko headed back to her room. Yuri sat back on the couch; Otabek's arms wrapping around him once more.

"Nice speech. I think you really spoke to her on that one." Otabek said. Viktor made a small noise of agreement and looked over at the younger Russian.

"Thank you for that Yurio. I am sure she will listen to you more than she ever listened to me." He huffed, getting the last bit of trash. A small cry came from Toshiro. He lifted himself from Yuuri's shoulder and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you ready for bed birthday boy?" Yuuri asked softly, fixing his messy hair. He nodded, yawning loudly.

"I want _Dyadya Yurio_ and _Dyadya Beka_ to tuck me in. Please Daddy?" he managed to say though his yawns. Yuuri smiled and nodded. The other men stood up, and met Yuuri where he was standing. He handed the sleepy toddler over to Otabek. Toshiro immediately curled up against the man's chest, closing his eyes. Otabek smiled at the display and grabbed Yuri's free hand to lead them back to the boy's room.

Otabek laid Toshiro down in the bed and Yuri went into his drawers to grab him a pair of pajamas. The older man helped Toshiro unbutton his shirt and pull off his pants. The younger man smiled and slipped on the toddler's car themed pjs.

" _Dyadya Yurio?"_

"Yes Toshi?"

He pointed to his hair. "You brush my hair?"

Yuri chuckled and nodded. "Of course." He said, sitting on the bed behind him. He grabbed the brush sitting on the dresser nearby and started to slowly comb thought he boy's hair. It was longer than Yuri remembered. It went well past his ears now, probably longer if it was completely straight. But his natural waves were the best part of it. He hoped he would never mess them up.

"Your hair is so long now Toshi!" he exclaimed, adding a bit of enthusiasm for the blond toddler.

"I want my hair like yours _Dyadya!_ " he said. "Long like _Dyadya!"_

Yuri let out a soft chuckle and continued to slowly brush though the waves. "You know your Papa Viktor had long hair like mine too."

The boys gasped and turned around to face Yuri. "Really?"

"Yup. It was long before you were even thought up. Before he even met your Dad. He had long hair for a long long time. It was his signature look. But he got older and he cut it all off."

"Are you going to cut your hair like Papa?" the small boy asked, giving Yuri a sad look.

"Of course not. I like my hair like this. Don't worry." Yuri said, pulling out his own blond locks from the confines of the hair tie. It flowed down, nearly hitting his lower back. Toshiro face lit up again, grabbing it and running his fingers through it all. Yuri laughed, watching Toshi become mesmerized by his hair.

"So long." The toddler whispered. Yuri nodded and slowly stood up.

"Okay. Time for bed Toshiro. It's late."

"Awwwwww" he cried, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Don't worry. I will see you in the morning okay? We can play with Bebe." He said, pulling the blanket over the boy. He patted his head gently. Otabek leaned down and pressed a kiss on his forehead.

"Good night Toshiro. Happy birthday."

Yuri flicked off the light switch, leaving the little car themed nightlight on. Both men left the room, leaving Toshiro to fall asleep.


	4. Couch Sweats

"Oi! Viktor!"

Viktor looked up from his notebook. "Hmm?"

"Otabek and I are going out of town for the weekend. I guess some people caught wind that we were here and want to do some interviews and stuff? Who knows? Either way, we will be back on Monday morning." Yuri said, stuffing his stuff into a small bag in the living room.

"Fine by me. Enjoy your weekend." Viktor said, pushing his reading glasses up against his face and looking back at his notebook. With the younger couple leaving, Viktor was going to be alone with Toshiro for most of the night. Yuuri was teaching a class at the rink and Aiko had practice until 8.

Otabek came into the living room with his bag as well, tossing it over his shoulder. Yuri finished stuffing his bag full of animal print clothes. The older skater gave him a hand up before pulling the keys to his bike out his pocket.

"Did you tell Toshiro bye? He will be upset if he finds out you guys left without telling him."

"He was asleep. Didn't want to wake him up and send him into a tantrum right before we left. I know I'm mean but I am not that mean to leave you to deal with that." Yuri said, slipping on his hoodie.

"Ah. I understand. I appreciate it."

"Ready Yura?" Otabek asked, tilting his head to the door. He nodded and pulled the hood over his head.

"Bye Viktor." Otabek said, waving a little at the man on the couch. Viktor raised his hand over her head, giving them a quick wave. Both men left, closing the door softly behind them. Viktor continued to scribble notes down, preparing a few things for Sanjou's and Ryo's free programs. He wanted to tweak a few things before they would compete with the programs. He pushed his glasses up on top of his head, taking a moment to go check on Toshiro.

He walked to the back of the house and peeked into the toddler's room. He was sound asleep still, holding the stuffed lion Yuri bought for him almost a year ago. Viktor's lips curled into a smile. Sometimes he found it hard to believe that he was his. This was definitely one of those moments. He kept to door open and walked back to the couch, going back to working on the routines. He found himself yawning more often as time went on and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

Viktor opened his eyes slowly, trying to adjust the the light again. He had fallen asleep longer than he had thought. He yawned loudly, stretching his arms over his head. He ran his hand through his hair before looking over to see the toddler at the end of the hallway, lion in hand.

Viktor smiled brightly, "Well good morning Toshiro! Did you have a good nap _simpatichnyy mal'chik?_ "

The toddler just stood there quietly, looking down at the floor. Viktor looked over at the boy, concerned about his sudden lack of enthusiasm. It wasn't like him.

"Toshiro? Are you-"

Before Viktor could finish, the boy bent over and emptied the contents of his stomach all over the floor before him. Viktor pulled his glasses off of his face and quickly ran over the the vomiting toddler. He was bent over yet again, throwing up more. Viktor picked him up to take him to the bathroom when he felt the boy's body was extremely hot. He set him down right away and put his hand to his forehead.

"My god you are burning up Toshiro." He exclaimed, looking at the child's face for the first time. He got down on his knees and pushed his hair out of his face to get a good look. His typically pale skin was flushed a deep red, his eyes were filled with tears and his breaths were shallow.

Viktor bit his lip, trying to think of what to do next. He needed to take his temperature first but what if he started throwing up again before he could find it. He wasn't even sure where it was. He didn't want to disrupt Yuuri's class, but he had never seen him this sick before.

"Papa…." He said, weakly, tears falling down his face. Viktor ran his fingers though the child's hair, trying to soothe him.

"I know. I know. Papa is going to try his best to make you feel better okay?" he said, trying to keep his voice calm for the child. He took off his dirty pajama top, which was soaked in his sweat. He tossed it off the side and picked him up, going to set him on the couch.

"I am going to be right back." He said, running to the cabinet to grab a towel. He soaked the towel in cold water and rang the excess water out. He went back to the couch and set the cold towel on the child's head. The child winced and started to cry loudly. Viktor swallowed the lump in his throat. It was hard to see him like this. He hardly ever got sick aside from the occasional cold, he was pretty healthy.

He started to pet the boy's head again as he cried. "I'm sorry Toshiro. This will help you feel better. You have to keep it on."

The boy continued to cry. "Daddy! I want my daddy!" he screamed as loud as he could, sending him into a coughing fit right after. Viktor cringed a bit.

"Toshiro. He is at work right now. He will be home soon." Viktor said, walking over to the end of the hallway to clean up the contents of the toddler's stomach. He managed to clean most of it up as Toshiro started to calm down a bit. He tossed the soiled towels into a basket to be washed and grabbed the trashcan from the bathroom for him to use in case he threw up again. He returned to the boy's side and started running his fingers though his hair.

Toshiro closed his eyes and let his body relax a little bit. He used all his energy crying. Viktor touched his forehead again. He was still burning up.

"Papa.." the toddler said softly, the tears still rolling down his face.

"Yes Toshiro?" he said softly, still running his hand though his hair.

Before the toddler could ask his question, he heaved and Viktor grabbed the trash can and put it right up to his face. He started to empty his stomach yet again. Viktor used his free hand to rub Toshiro's back. After he finished, he set the trash can back down and Toshiro fell back into the couch, trying to catch his breath.

Viktor's heart broke. He leaned down and kissed the boy's hot forehead. "You are going to be okay. I promise. You are a big boy now." he said, holding back his tears. He had to stay strong. For Toshiro's sake. If he saw his own father falling apart, he would follow suit. A small smile crossed the boy's lips before he drifted off to sleep.

It gave Viktor just enough time to call Yuuri. He scrambled to find his phone, dialing the number as fast as he could. It rang for a while. He tapped his foot impatiently as he looked at the time.

"He should be done with class by now." He said to himself as it rang on. It went to voicemail. Viktor groaned loudly and dialed again. It went to voicemail yet again. He sighed deeply and dialed Aiko's number. She always had her phone on her.

A few rings went by.

"Hello?"

"Aiko! Is your Dad at the rink still?" he asked, frantically.

"Yeah. He is talking to a few parents right no-"

"Go give him the phone NOW." He said, holding no frustration back.

"But he's-"

"Aiko. _YA skazal dat' yemu telefon_!" he growled, slipping into his native tongue unconsciously. Aiko could tell Viktor was upset and she wasn't going to be caught in the middle of it. She quickly skated over to the wall next to where Yuuri was standing. Victor could hear the rustling over the phone.

"Dad! Papa is on the phone."

"Tell him to wait a minute. I'll be finished in a little bit." He said, turning his attention back to the parents.

"He doesn't sound happy. He yelled at me. In English _and_ in Russian."

Yuuri groaned and excused himself from the parents for a moment. He grabbed the phone and walked off to the side.

"Viktor. Can you wait for-" Yuuri started but was quickly cut off.

"Took you long enough! Why weren't you answering your phone?" Viktor said.

"My phone is in my bag and I was talking to a couple parents. I was going to go grab it as soon as I was done."

"You know you need to have your phone close by! You can't just leave it in the bag and toss it away!" Viktor said, the frustration oozing out of his voice. He looked over at Toshiro, who was breathing shallowly next to him. He was starting to wake up again.

"What is wrong with you Viktor? You are acting like a mad man."

"You need to come home now. See if Aiko can get a ride home from someone tonight. I'm sure Yuuko can take her home or at least take her to your parent's place."

Yuuri was taken aback. "Viktor. What is going on? You are screaming at Aiko and yelling at me over my phone and now you are demanding that I come home right away. This isn't right."

The boy started coughing violently and woke himself up. He started to cry loudly again in between his coughs. "Papa!"

He pulled the phone away from his ear and looked over at the boy.

"I am right here Toshi."

"Where's daddy?" he cried, sitting up on the couch now. Yuuri could hear muffled noises though the phone.

"Viktor. Is that Toshiro crying?"

Viktor went back over the boy's side and laid him back down on the couch. The cries were now loud enough to be heard thought the phone.

"I am talking to daddy right now. Okay? Give me a second." he said.

Yuuri was extremely confused.

"Viktor! Viktor! Tell me what is going on!"

Viktor walked away from the boy and put the phone back to his ear. He didn't want to hear him if he started to lose it.

"What is going on! I hear Toshiro crying and you are yelling at me. What the hell is happening Viktor?"

"Toshiro is really sick. I haven't ever seen him this bad. I don't even think Aiko was ever this sick." He started. "He is burning up. He is throwing up. He's coughing violently. Even his breathing his shallow. I don't know if I should take him to the hospital. He just keeps crying for you so I called you." He explained quickly, his worry showing in every note. "He is scared. I am doing my best to keep it together. But I'm worried Yuuri." He said, the tears starting to fall down his face.

Yuuri was still trying to take what he just said. It was a lot to take in at once.

"Where's Yurio and Otabek? I thought they where there with you."

"They left for the weekend. They had some interviews or something. They left a long time ago."

"So its just you and Toshiro?"

"Yes. I checked on him right after they left and I though he was just sleeping. He came in to the living room a few hours later and threw up on the floor. When I went to pick him up to take him to the bathroom, I felt he had a fever and his shirt was soaked. He must have been fighting it while he was sleeping."

"Where is he now?"

"I took off his shirt and laid him on the couch. I put a cold towel on his head to cool him down a bit. I didn't get much farther before he started crying for me to call you. I was going to find the thermometer but I don't want to leave him by himself. I was also going to give him some medicine but I am sure he will throw it right back up."

"Okay. I am going to ask Yuuko to see if he could take Aiko to my parent's place for the night in case we have to go to hospital. I'll be there as soon as I can. I-I am going to call my mom and ask her if she has dealt with anything like this. If she hasn't, we are going to take him to the hospital."

Viktor made a noise in agreement. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He was shaking. He could barely keep the phone to his ear.

"Call me back on my phone in like 5 minutes okay? That should be enough time to talk to Yuuko."

"Okay."

"Talk to you soon."

"Talk to you soon" Viktor said before hanging up the phone.

Yuuri kicked off his skates and ran over to the rental booth where Yuuko was sharpening some of the blades on the rental booth.

"Yuuko-chan!"

"What's up Yuuri?"

"Viktor just called me and told me Toshiro is really sick. We might have to take him to the hospital. I have to get home as soon I can. Is there any way you could take Aiko to the resort after practice? She can stay the night there. If you can't, its okay. I'll call Minako-sensei."

"Oh my gosh Yuuri. Of course! Don't worry about it. You get home right away." Yuuko said, pulling Yuuri into a hug over the counter. He gave her a tight squeeze back before pulling away.

"Thank you." He said before running off to go get his bag and tell Aiko what was going on.

"Aiko! Put your guards on and meet me by the dressing room. Now." Yuuri said as he ran past her. Aiko looked confused, shrugging at her friends before skating to the gate and slipping her guards on. She headed over to the door of the dressing room and waited for Yuuri.

Yuuri came rushing out, slipping his sweater on and dropping his bag on the floor. "Yuuko-chan is going to take you over to your _Sofubos_ house after practice today. Either me or your papa will come pick you up tomorrow."

"I have school tomorrow. I don't have a uniform or anything there." Aiko argued.

"You may have one lying around. Ask _Obāchan_. If you don't have one, you just won't go to school for one day. I'll call and let them know you will be absent for the day." He said, zipping up his jacket and shoving his skates into the bag.

"Daddy what is going on? First Papa is yelling at me on the phone and now you are telling me I'm going to grandma's house in the middle of the week."

"Your brother is very sick. He might have to go to the hospital tonight. I didn't want you to miss out on practice so that's why I asked Yuuko to take you."

Aiko swallowed hard. "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. He's got a really high fever and he throwing up everywhere. He is also coughing really hard I guess. I really don't know Aiko." He said, tossing his backpack over his shoulder. He slipped on his shoes and grabbed his keys out his pocket.

"Be good for _Obāchan_ and _Ojīchan_ okay? They could really use your help around the resort while you are there." He said, pressing a kiss onto her cheek. Aiko nodded and watched as he ran off towards the door.

"I hope Toshiro gets better Yuuri! Keep me updated!" Yuuko yelled.

"Will do!" he said, running out the front door and to the car.

Viktor had his son's head in his lap, gently petting his head to keep him calm until Yuuri got there. He changed the cold towel on his head but it wasn't doing much for the fever at hand.

"Papa…" Toshiro said weakly, coughing a little bit as he spoke up.

"Hmm?" he asked, looking down at the sick child.

"Mr. Lion…where is he? I dropped him."

Viktor looked confused for a second before realizing what he meant. He was talking about the stuffed lion toy. Viktor scanned the room and saw the toy in the corner by the entrance of the hallway.

"He is over there." He said, pointing to the hallways. "Do you want to me to get him?"

Toshiro nodded, lifting his head off his lap so he could get up. Viktor got up and got the toy and brought it over the toddler. He quickly hugged it to his chest, whispering a few words to it. Viktor smiled and sat back down on the couch and gently laid the boy back down on his lap. With his stuffed animal back in his arms, he closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. Viktor gently rubbed his tiny arms and legs, trying to get him to relax enough to asleep. His shallow breaths filled the air quickly, indicating that he had fallen asleep.

Viktor pulled out his phone and dialed Yuuri's number again. It had been more than 5 minutes but it should be fine. He got Toshiro to calm down and that was enough for him. Yuuri picked up quickly this time.

"How is he?"

"He just fell asleep. Fever wont budge though. I am trying to give him water so he won't dehydrate since he this throwing up and sweating."

"Okay. Yuuko is going to take Aiko to mom and dad's. I am almost home right now. I stopped at the store to pick a few things."

"Did you call your mom?"

"Yeah. She said to just keep an eye on him. She gave me a list of medicines she always used. She said if he gets worse, we should take him to the hospital though."

"Understandable."

"I am almost home. See you in a minute."

"Okay. Bye." He said, hanging up the phone and tossing it on the table next to him. He continued to run his fingers though the sleeping boy's hair. He watched his little chest rise and fall with each breath. His arms were wrapped tightly around the stuffed animal. He really was a strong boy. He smiled softly and started to softly sing an old Russian lullaby; something he heard when he was young.

 **Люли, люли, люленьки,**

 **Где вы, где вы, гуленьки?**

 **Прилетайте на кровать,**

 **Начинайте ворковать.**

He was surprised he remembered most of the words since he hadn't heard it in over 30 years. The boy seemed to relax hearing his Papa's voice. It made Viktor smile as he continued singing.

 **Люли, люли, люленьки,**

 **Прилетели гуленьки.**

 **Сели в изголовьице -**

 **Спи-ка на здоровьице.**

 **Стали гули ворковать -**

 **Стала доча засыпать.**

He heard keys jingling in the door, and he quickly turned his head looking at Yuuri rush into the house. He dropped everything at the door. Viktor put his finger to his lips and shushed him.

"He is still sleeping." He said quietly.

"Sorry." He said, unzipping his jacket and tossing it into a nearby chair. He walked over the couch and got down on his knees besides his son. He put the back of his hand to his forehead.

"You were right. He is burning up."

"You thought I was lying?"

"No. You just…are a little dramatic sometimes." Yuuri said, with a soft shrug.

"I am not dramatic about serious things like this Yuuri."

"Now I know that." He said, examining the sleeping boys body, trying not to wake him up. Toshiro started to cough loudly again, causing him to wake up and start whining.

"Toshi. Daddy is here." Viktor said softly, seeing if that would keep him from crying again.

"I am right here sweetie. I came rushing home as soon as Papa told me you were not feeling good." He said, brushing his hair away from from his sweaty forehead to look into the boy's icy blue eyes. The boy pulled himself to sit up on the couch. Viktor put a hand on his back, to make sure he didn't fall over.

"Daddy…I feel sick…" the boy said, hugging to the lion to his chest

"I know. Papa told me. I brought some stuff to help you feel better." He said, reaching over to grab the bag. He dug inside of the bag and grabbed a bottle of thick pink liquid. The boy's eyes grew wide and shook his head over and over again.

"No! No! I no want that!" he yelled, putting the animal in front of his mouth.

"You wont feel better if you don't take it. I promise it won't be that bad." Yuuri explained, pulling the plastic off the top and shaking it up. Viktor pulled him into his lap, knowing that he was going to try and run away as soon as he saw it. Toshiro tried to worm away, sending him into yet another violent coughing fit. Yuuri poured the liquid into the small measuring cup.

"No! NO!" Toshiro screamed, starting to cry again. He tried to pry his way out of Viktor's arms. Viktor held him tightly though, making sure he wouldn't leave. Yuuri held the cup to the boy's lips, trying to get him drink it. He swatted it, nearly knocking it from Yuuri's hands. Yuuri sighed deeply.

"Viktorovich! Stop this nonsense right now. You need to take this medicine or you will get worse. We tried to be nice about it. Don't make us get mean." Viktor said to the boy. He continued to sob and worm away. Viktor looked at Yuuri, giving him a look. Yuuri nodded. He sat up on his knees and came face to face with the boy on Viktor's lap.

"Toshiro. Open your mouth. I am not going to ask again." Yuuri said, his voice stern. Toshiro stopped squirming but kept his mouth shut. Yuuri gave him a look before using his middle name himself.

"Viktorovich." He said, his accent making it sound much more rough than it was meant to. He rarely used their middle names to address them. But desperate times called for desperate measures. The boy was shocked his dad's use of his middle name. He opened his mouth a little. Yuuri poured the medicine into his mouth. The boy started to cry at the taste.

"Swallow it. The longer you leave it in your mouth, the worse it gets." Viktor followed up. The boy complied and swallowed it all down. Yuuri handed him his cup of water to drink from. He dropped the stuffed toy and used both hands to drink out the cup, trying to rid his mouth of the taste. Both Yuuri Viktor let out a sigh of relief.

He finished the entire cup of water, dropping the empty cup on the floor. Yuuri reached down and handed the stuffed animal back to him. He snatched it from his hands, hugging it once again.

"Mhmm..It was nasty Mr. Lion." He whispered to the toy, wiping some of the leftover tears on the top of it. Viktor set him back down on the couch, wanting to let him rest again. The boy laid back down, turning away from both of his parents and facing the back of the couch. He huffed loudly, making sure they both heard him. Yuuri pulled a cold pack from the bag as well, putting it over the feverish boy's head.

"He can be mad at us." Yuuri said, putting the the bottle of medicine down on the table as well for later.

"I know. We are trying to keep him out the hospital and we are the bad guys." Viktor half-joked, running his hand though his bangs, pushing them back out of his face. Viktor stood up and stretched a bit, a little tense from the night's events. Yuuri stood up as well, looking up a Viktor.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"No. I am just proud of you."

"Hmm?"

"For everything you did. I know for sure I wouldn't have been able to handle of this alone like you did. I would have lost my mind."

"I mean I kind of did. I'm sorry for yelling at you by the way."

"It's fine. If it were me, I would have screamed at you until you _had_ to come home to shut me up. How long was he like this before you called me?"

"About an hour. I didn't want to ruin your class so I tried to at least wait until you were done."

"I wouldn't have mind if you interrupted my class for this. It was an emergency."

"I know but still. I know you deserved to know first, but I want to see if I could get it under control." He said. Yuuri wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him down to give a quick kiss on the lips.

"Thank you."

Viktor blushed a bit, letting a smile curl on his lips. Yuuri smiled back before letting go of him.

"I am going to change into my pajamas and go look for a thermometer."

"Okay. I am going to feel him and see if anything has changed. We got to get him to try and eat something too. He has thrown up everything I have given him. I kind of hope he keeps the medicine down."

"I gave him an anti-nausea medicine first. We are going to wait an hour and then give him the other medicine I bought. I didn't want him to throw up the actual medicine he needed so I wanted to do it in stages."

"Smart. I would have never thought of that."

"That's why you married me right?"

"That among many other reasons." He said with a smile. Yuuri chuckled before walking to the back of the house. Viktor walked over to Toshiro and put his hand on his cheek. The boy groaned in response. Viktor chuckled and sat down on the couch.

"You know daddy and I are only doing this because we love you and want you to get better, right?"

Toshiro nodded, burying his face in the stuffed toy. "loveyouanddaddytoo." He said quickly, muffled into . Viktor smiled warmly and leaned over to kiss the top of the boy's sweaty head.

"More?" Toshiro cried, drenched in his own sweat as Yuuri held up the medicine cup once more, putting it to his lips.

"It will help your fever go down. You will stop sweating so much." Yuuri said, gently grabbing his cheeks to open his mouth.

"Liar!" he screamed, knowing that no medicine ever tasted as good as they say it did. He turned his head and Yuuri sighed and gave him a sad look.

"Please Toshiro. You have done every time I have you take medicine. Do you want be in the hospital?" Viktor asked, completely disheveled at this point.

They had been at this for hours on end now. His fever was slowly going down and he managed to keep the medicine and few pieces of bread. The cough hadn't stopped but that was the least of their worries.

Toshiro covered his mouth and shook his head. It was obvious the toddler had enough medicine for one night. Viktor looked over at his phone, tapping it to display the time.

4:15 am

He groaned loudly, putting his hands over his sleepy eyes. "Toshiro. Please. Just take the medicine. You might actually get some sleep if you do." He grumbled. Yuuri tired again but he flailed his arms in front of him to keep it away from his lips. Yuuri put the cup on the table and stood up.

"I am done trying. You try this time Viktor. Maybe he might actually listen to you!" he said, running his hands through his disheveled hair out of frustration.

"Its obvious he isn't listening to me either Yuuri. It's not going to make a difference!" He snapped back, his attitude in full force.

"Don't start with the attitude Viktor. You aren't the only one who is tired here."

"I never said that. I was saying that if you can't get him to take it, there is no way in hell he is going to let me do it."

"So what? We just let him get away with being a brat and have him get more sick?"

"I don't see you thinking of anything else to make him take it. We can't force him again. He nearly spit it out on us last time. We ran out of stuff to bribe him with too." Viktor complained, rubbing his eyes.

"Well we have to do something. We can't just leave him like this." Yuuri said, putting his hands on his hips. Viktor sighed deeply and put his face in his hands. Its was too late for all of this. He was going to give it one last try, for Yuuri sake and so this petty argument could end.

He reached over to the side table and grabbed the medicine cup. He reached over and took the lion from the boy's arms. He tossed the toy to Yuuri, who clumsily caught it. Tears started forming in Toshiro's eyes.

"Don't you start. You can have back _after_ you take your medicine. Now open your mouth." Victor said, pulling the boy closer to him. The boy sadly turned his head away.

"Viktorovich. Mouth open. Now." Viktor said, his patience pretty much gone at this point. The boy kept his mouth closed, giving him an eye. Viktor took a deep breath before he started to count.

"One…Two…Three…Four…Fiv-"

At the last moment, the toddler opened his mouth enough to put the cup to his lips. Viktor poured the medicine and he swallowed, letting out a whine as he finished.

"Yuuri. please."

Yuuri handed the toy over to Viktor, who handed it back to Toshiro, who was holding back his tears.

"I am a man of my word."

Toshiro grabbed it and looked over the stuffed animal for any damages. He then pressed it against his chest and laid down on the couch, facing the back again.

"He's mad." Yuuri said, looking over at the boy.

"Good." Viktor said, standing up and going to go sit in the loveseat to give the boy some room on the couch. He was going to be mad a him for a little while. Yuuri walked over and sat across Viktor's lap. Viktor wrapped his arms around the younger man's waist and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

"Hopefully he will fall asleep soon. Maybe he will sleep the last bit of his fever off." Viktor said, leaning his head back to relax a bit. Yuuri snuggled into Viktor's chest and yawned. He closed his eyes.

"Me too."

And with that, both men were snoring loudly within minutes.

Bright light was shining though the front windows, warming up the room. The sounds of birds and cars down the streets echoed though the quiet house.

Yuuri flickered his eyes open, groaning at the sudden light in his eyes. He used his forearm to cover a bit as he saw up a bit. Viktor's loud snore made him realize where he was. He was still in Viktor's lap. They must have slept like that all night since they were so tired.

He rubbed his eyes a bit and looked over on the couch where his still shirtless son was sprawled out, lion still in hand. He laughed a little before getting up carefully. He walked over to the couch and gently touched the boy's forehead. Yuuri sighed in relief. His fever had gone down. The boy stirred from the sudden touch. Yuuri got down on his knees and started to pet the child's wavy blond hair.

"Good morning sleepy head." he said quietly.

"Mmmmmm…daddy…" the child groaned, turning over to face Yuuri.

"Your fever has gone down. Are you feeling any better?"

The boy nodded slowly, rubbing his eyes.

"That's good." He said, kissing his forehead. "Do you want to me make you some oatmeal for breakfast?"

"With apples?" he groaned out, his voice hoarse from the screaming the night before.

"With apples." Yuuri said with a smile, standing up to head to the kitchen. He carefully pulled out a small pot and the box of oatmeal.

It wasn't long before the oatmeal was ready. He put a little bit in a bowl and grabbed a spoon before heading back out to the living room. Toshiro sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes to try and wake up.

"Here you go. Apple cinnamon oatmeal. Just like you like it." Yuuri said with a smile, setting it down in his lap. He smiled softly and started to dig it right away. Yuuri heard Viktor stirring on the couch, waking up as well.

"Is he feeling better?" he asked, yawning loudly.

"Looks like it. His fever has gone down. He looks better." He said, walking back over to sit on his lap. "I got up and made him some oatmeal. There is some in there for you and I too."

"Good. I'm starving." He said, tapping Yuuri's thighs to get him to stand up. Both men stood up and headed into the kitchen. They served themselves each a bowl of oatmeal and sat down at the table.

"I'm glad he's feeling better. Last night was hell." Viktor said, running a hand through his hair. Yuuri nodded in agreement. They both took a large bite of their breakfast and sat in silence…well not for long. They heard a loud heave coming from the living room. Both Yuuri and Viktor closed their eyes, knowing exactly what happened.

"D-Daddy? P-Papa?" Toshiro said, his voice shaky.

"Spoke too soon." Viktor said, pushing his bowl away from him, suddenly not hungry after hearing the boy vomit yet again.

Both men sighed deeply and got up to go take care of their sweet sick child.


	5. Tight Buns and Ponytails

"Keep your hips forward Kio, it's making your leg turn in an awkward position." Yuri said to the young girl in front of him.

Aiko had her leg up, her knee to towards her head in an extension. She was starting to shake from holding the position for so long. One hand was holding onto the Barre and the other gracefully above her head. Yuri stood behind her and turned her hips straight. It caused her to wobble and drop her leg. She bent over and took a few deep breaths.

"You do know I have a competition this weekend." Aiko said through her teeth.

"I do. That's why I am going easy on you today." Yuri said, with a smile on his face. Aiko let out a loud groan before standing up and placing her hands on her hips.

"This is easy?"

"Consider yourself lucky. You only have me for another week. I lived with my ballet instructor. That was hell. You got it easy Kio."

Aiko crossed her arms across her chest and huffed out. At least he was letting her wear her hair a ponytail now instead of that tight ballet bun.

"The faster we finish here, the faster we can get to the rink to practice. Now time for your other leg." Yuri said, standing in front of her at the Barre. Aiko sighed and got back on the Barre.

"Fifth position." He said, crossing his arms across his chest. Aiko obeyed, quickly arranging her feet and putting one hand on the barre, the other extended to the side.

"You know the drill. Développé to the front. Back to fifth, Développé to the side. Back. Développé to the back. Back. Then a full leg extension for 4 seconds." Yuri explained. "And don't forget to breathe. Last time I thought you were going to pass out."

Aiko rolled her eyes and straightened her back. She took a deep breath before starting the drill.

"Hips. Think about how your hips are affecting your legs. I know you are sore and tired but you shouldn't slack." Yuri said, watching her movements like a hawk. Aiko groaned loudly and continued, knowing it was going to be a long session.

"Daddy, Where Kiki?" Toshiro said, sitting on Yuuri's lap as he played with a toy truck. Toshi had his own little nickname for his sister since he had a hard time actually saying her name.

"She's with Uncle Yurio, getting ready for her competition tomorrow. She will be home soon." Yuuri said, watching the little boy play.

"Oh...Kiki skating?"

Yuuri nodded. "Yup. She has to work very hard."

The boy continued to roll the car around Yuuri's thighs, making car noises with his mouth. Yuuri smiled and kissed the back of his head. Viktor was in the kitchen cooking dinner for everyone. Otabek was on the loveseat, reading quietly.

The door swung open.

"I am going to be sore for my competition tomorrow!" Aiko yelled, facing Yuri. Her hands were firmly placed on her hips as she stepped forward towards him. "If I get anything less than 1st, I will blame you in full."

Yuuri let out a hearty laugh, listening to them. "Being with you this long as certainly rubbed off on her." He said through his laughter.

"Shut up pig!" He growled, bringing back that old nickname of his. Yuuri shook his head, chuckling a bit.

Otabek looked up from his book. "Yura." He scolded.

"Haven't used that one in a while." Viktor said, stepping out the kitchen, tossing a hand towel over his shoulder.

"You shut it too old man!" Yuri spat out. Viktor gave him a quick glare.

"You know I feel about that Yurio." he said sternly.

"If you would have kept your nose out of my damn business, I would have no need to call you an old man. This is between Kio and I so butt out."

Both men laughed a little at Yuri's display. It had been a while since they had seen him like that. He was sure Aiko had been working his nerves down all day, which caused this little outburst.

"Don't laugh at me you damn assholes!"

Viktor and Yuuri shared a look before smiling. A few sniffles were heard from Yuuri's lap. The small blond was crying into his forearm.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Yuuri asked, rubbing his back gently.

" Dyadya Y-Yurio y-y-yelled at you and p-papa!" He said though his tears. Yurio bit his lip and looked away. He didn't think he would make the kid cry so easily.

"H-H-He say mean t-things!" He continued, crying harder now. Yuuri was rubbing his back and laying kissed on his head. Viktor walked over to where Yuuri was sitting and got down to face the toddler. He reached over and gently wiped the tears away from the boy's eyes.

"It's okay Toshiro. Don't cry. He didn't mean it. That's just Dyadya Yurio's way to saying he loves us. He has always been like that." he explained, running his hand through his son's messy hair. The boy stopped crying, looking at Yuri with wet eyes.

"Your papa Viktor...he's right...I didn't mean it. I'm sorry Toshiro. I didn't mean to make you cry." Yuri said, still looking away, not wanting everyone to see his blushing face. He took a deep breath and faced the child. He walked over to the boy and squatted down to the toddler's eye level.

"I'm not good at telling people how I feel...so I say mean things because...I'm embarrassed to say it. Your papa, your dad, Dyadya Otabek, and even Aiko know I mean no harm. I didn't want to make you cry Toshi. I'm sorry. Will you forgive your Dyadya ?" He explained, his expression softening as he spoke to the child. It was definitely embarrassing to be having this moment in front of everyone. He would never live it down. But he couldn't stand himself for making Toshiro cry. He had to make it up to him.

Toshiro nodded and looked up at Yuri. The older blond smiled and used his jacket sleeve to wipe the remaining tears off his face. He leaned over and gave the toddler a kiss. Toshiro smiled and jumped onto the older man, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"Hug! Hug!" The boy exclaimed. Yuri laughed loudly and wrapped his arms around the small boy, swiftly picking him up. The hug lasted for a while before swinging the boy on his hip.

"Well now that that's all over, dinner's ready." Viktor said, wiping his hands on the towel on his shoulder.

"Do you know who you are going to be competing with tomorrow Aiko?" Otabek asked, taking a bite of his chicken.

"No. I guess it is one of the competitions to qualify for nationals so I can imagine there will be a ton of talented girls there…" she said, quieting down towards the end. She took a small bite of her chicken as well.

"You'll do great milaya . You have been practicing very hard. You are just as talented as those other girls." Viktor stated, sipping his glass of water.

"Probably more talented." Yuri said as he sat back in the chair. Aiko looked up from her plate slowly.

"Don't sell yourself short. You are good. Not just because it's in your blood. You work hard." Yuri said, taking a big gulp from his bottle of beer.

Aiko felt her ears warm up. She instinctively looked down at her plate. The corners of her lips curled up into a small smile "Thanks, Dyadya Yurio."

"Don't thank me. Thank your coach. Thank your parents. Thank yourself. I'm just the only one who has the balls to tell you the truth."

Viktor and Yuuri rolled their eyes a little bit, each taking respective bites of their dinner. They did appreciate what he was saying, though. They had been telling Aiko for years that she was a great skater but now that she was hearing it from someone she admired and looked up to, she truly believed it.

The table quickly got quiet. The only sounds were coming from the utensils hitting the glass plates and Toshiro's various plane and car noises as he ate. It stayed like this for a while, everyone eating and taking sips from their drinks.

Aiko finished first, picking up her plate to put it in the sink. "I'm going to shower and head to bed. Thanks for dinner Papa." She said. She put her dirty plate in the sink before heading to the back of the house to her room.

"I swear that in just this past week you have been here, she's gotten more confident." Yuuri said, making eye contact with Yuri.

"And much sassier. But I'll take that. She is going do great this weekend." Viktor said, finishing off his plate of food. He reached over to the now filthy toddler, wiping the food from his face with a napkin.

Yuri smiled and took another sip of his beer. "That's because I know what I'm doing. I don't nag her like you two did."

"It's more like she admires and looks up you. So she actually values your opinion." Viktor said, trying to figure out a way to clean up his squirming toddler.

"I'm telling you, tomorrow she is going to give a hell of a performance just because you will be there. She wants to impress you." Yuuri said, taking the last bite of his dinner.

"She has already impressed me. That girl has a lot of determination. She is always willing to do anything and everything I tell her. That first day I took her to the studio, I wanted to see how far I could push her before she snapped, just to see where I could go with training. I was giving her ridiculous tasks; something I would have fought about when I was her age. But she would suck it up and do it. She would snap for a second but reel it right back in and do what I said. I'm sure she is any coach's dream. Yakov would love her. A skater that actually listens." Yuuri rambled on.

"Reminds me of a lot of you Yura. Eyes of a soldier." Otabek said, sitting back in his chair. Yuri's cheek flushed pink. Otabek continued. "She wants to prove she is more than just what her last name suggests. She wants to prove she earns every single point on her own. She feels she has to do all of this. I mean, she does come from a family of skaters. She has countless uncles, aunts, and other family members that are skaters. She wants to live up to that expectation everyone has of her, all while still having fun and being a teenage. That kinda pressure pushes a person to an entirely different level. That's why she is so good. She's lucky to have such wonderful parents and family supporting her through all this pressure."

Everyone quietly listened to Otabek. He wasn't really much of a talker, not even with Yuri. But when he did speak up, his words had more impact than anything else anyone could have said. All the men in the room nodded in agreement. Toshiro whines cut the moment prematurely.

Viktor pulled the food covered shirt off the toddler and picked him up out of his booster seat.

"You are much a messy eater little boy. You know that?." Viktor said to the boy, getting the grains of rice out the toddler's blond hair.

"Like someone we know." Yuri said, making a gesture towards Viktor. Everyone started laughing, except Viktor who started to pout.

"I'm getting better okay!" He said, picking up the boy and placing him on his hip. "We are going to take a shower. So excuse us." He said with an attitude as he stepped out. Yuuri laughed at the display as he cleaned up the plates on the table. Otabek helped Yuuri clean up the kitchen and put away the various leftovers. Yuri had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room.

"Thanks for your help Otabek." Yuuri said, drying off his hands on a nearby towel.

"No problem. I'll see you in the morning." he said as he walked to the living room. He found Yuri curled up on the couch, the little gray cat Bebe sleeping in his arms. Otabek let out a chuckle before walking over to the sleeping blond. He picked the man up with ease, taking him to their bed for the night.

Everyone was gathered by the door, bags in hand. The sun hasn't risen yet but they had to leave now in order to make it to the rink on time. Otabek was holding a sleeping Toshiro, who was holding Mr. Lion with one arm against his chest. Aiko looked like death had washed over her. She didn't bother to brush her hair or even change out her pajamas. She just rolled out of bed and brushed her teeth.

Yuri yawned and rubbed his sleepy eyes. He was in a pair of Otabek's old sweatpants and his competition sweater. His hair was in a messy ponytail as well. He wasn't the type to wake up early if he didn't have to. The only people who looked halfway presentable were Yuuri, Viktor, and Otabek (who was fully dressed).

"So who's driving?" Yuri asked, his voice quiet because he was still half asleep.

"Viktor will drive halfway and I'll drive the rest. It's about a 8-hour drive so we will be the car for quite a while." Yuuri said, grabbing the car keys off the table. Everyone gathered up their bags and took them out to the car to load them up. Yuuri and Yuri loaded up the back of the car while Otabek carefully put Toshiro in his car seat. Aiko climbed in right after and Otabek got in after that.

"I am glad we decided on the bigger car now." Viktor joked as he got into the front driver's seat. Yuuri hopped into the passenger seat and Yuri climbed into the back with Aiko. Otabek reached over and carefully closed the door. Viktor started the car, backed out and headed down the road.

"Our rooms are next to each other. I hope that's not a problem." Yuuri said toward Yuri and Otabek. Everyone gathered in the elevator to head to their hotel room.

"It's fine." Yuri grumbled, still half asleep from their car ride. "What time is it anyway?"

Viktor looked at his phone for a second. "1 o'clock."

"What time does she need to be at the rink?"

"Around 4."

"Enough time to take a nap." Yuuri said, stretching his arms over his head.

The elevator dinged and the doors flew open. They all filed out the door and headed down the carpeted hall. Yuri and Otabek went to the door on the left, the family on the right. Otabek handed Toshiro over to Yuuri. The small boy curled into his dad's chest.

"See you in a few hours." Viktor said, putting his key card in the door.

"See you in a few hours." Yuri said, walking into their room.

Viktor walked in first, stacking their bags off to the side. Yuuri and Toshiro came in next and Aiko being last. She had in her headphones, focusing only on her upcoming program. She immediately went to her bag and pulled out her costume and her makeup bag. She set everything up in the bathroom, starting on her makeup first.

Yuuri walked into the bathroom and waved to get her attention. She pulled her headphones out and looked up.

"Don't you want to take a nap? I'm sure sleeping in the car wasn't the most comfortable things." Yuuri asked, leaning against the doorframe the bathroom.

"No. I need to be at the top of my game. If I sleep now, I'll be sleepy for my SP and I can't let that happen." she said quietly, grabbing her foundation. "I can't slip up. If I don't do well here, I won't make it to nationals and the idea of going to Junior Worlds is down the drain." she said, opening the bottle and pouring a small amount on the back of her hand. She grabbed her beauty sponge and started to gently tap the foundation on her skin. She didn't look at Yuuri once. Her look was intense; something Yuuri had never seen before.

"Let me know when you are ready for me to do your hair."

"Okay." she said focused on pressing the foundation in her skin. Yuuri sighed and left the bathroom to the main room. Viktor was laying on the bed next to Toshiro, who was whining in his sleep. Viktor handed the toddler his lion toy and the boy quieted quickly.

"She ignore you?" Viktor asked, brushing his bangs behind his ear.

"Not really. She is just really intense. I have never seen her like this. " Yuuri said, walking over to sit on the bed next to the two.

"What do you mean?"

"She was saying that she couldn't allow herself to mess up. She has to stay at the top of her game. She didn't look up at me at all. She is taking this all very very seriously."

"Well, it is serious Yuuri. This is the start of her figure skating career. We should give her space and let her focus. There's a lot of competition here and many of them are older than her. They have more experience than her. She's nervous."

"I know…"

"Relax. Come lay down with me. She will get us when she is ready." Viktor said, opening up his arms to allow Yuuri in. The younger man quickly climbed into his arms, tangling their legs together and laying his head on his chest. Viktor ran his fingers through his husband's hair a few times.

"She really is grown up." Viktor said softly. "She acts just like you at competitions. It's interesting."

"I know. It's scary.." Yuuri said, relaxing more into his husband's arms.

"But she's still young. She will learn how to control her nervousness. You learned. She will learn."

Yuuri nodded and closed his eyes. Viktor gave him a sweet kiss before closing his eyes as well.

A loud knock was heard at the door. Yuuri was finishing up Aiko's hair in the main room since there was little more light there. She was in her white and blue costume from the last time and her makeup was done. Nothing too intense. Just a little foundation, blush, eyeliner, and a deep red lip.

Viktor got up and answered the door. Yuri and Otabek were standing there.

"She is almost ready. Come on in."

Both men walked in and headed straight to the bedroom. Aiko was standing up, fixing her costume in the mirror next to the closet. Yuuri was standing behind her, putting in her hair piece. Aiko turned to look at the couple and let a small smile graced her red lips. Yuri's eyes softened, and his lips curled up into a smile.

"You look beautiful Kio." Yuri said, walking over to her. He reached out and gave her a hug. "You are going to be amazing today."

Her cheeks flushed pink under her blush. "Thank you."

Yuri pulled away and looked over at Otabek. "Look at her. I remember when she was in diapers! Now I am feeling old!" Yuri exclaimed. Otabek chuckled and nodded.

"I still remember walking in on her covered in chocolate sauce from the cabinet. Getting chocolate out of a baby's hair is a lot harder than it looks." Otabek said plainly.

Everyone laughed a bit, reminiscing about the past for a moment's time. Aiko slipped on her sweatpants as well as her jacket. She picked up her skating bag and tossed it over her shoulder.

"Ready to go?" Viktor asked his daughter.

She nodded. Yuuri picked up Toshiro and grabbed his cell phone. Viktor shrugged on his coat and grabbed Yuuri's free hand. Yuri rolled his eyes and headed out the door first with Aiko.

Luckily, the rink was right next door to the hotel they were at so they got there in no time at all. The seats in the rink were filling up quick. Everyone walked Aiko over to the barrier, wanting to see her off.

"Relax okay. Just go out there and do what you do best." Yuuri said.

"Don't let those other girls intimidate you." Viktor said.

"Yeah. You already look better than most. Go out there and kick some ass." Yuri said. Otabek gave him a gentle nudge at his language.

Aiko nodded gave everyone her regular cheeks kisses to everyone before heading past the barrier and to her coach.

"Let's go find a good seat. This place is already getting crowded." Yuri said, walking ahead of the group. After getting stopped by countless fans, Yuri and the group found a seat in the 3rd row back, behind the judge's table. Yuri slumped down into his seat and pulled his cheetah print hood over his head.

"Do you two deal with this every time you go to a competition?" Yuri asked.

Viktor shrugged a bit. "Depends on the competition. Local ones aren't as bad. Yuuri gets noticed more than I do at these sorts of events. I only get swarmed at international events." Viktor explained.

"We have gotten used it. Sometimes we take a few pictures with people and do some autographs but typically we thank them for supporting us but tell them we are here to support out daughter, not as skaters." Yuuri said, pulling Toshiro into his lap so he could see the ice.

Yuri scoffed and continued to slouch in his chair. Otabek put his arms around his shoulder, trying to calm him down. The rink erupted in screams as the skaters took the ice for their warm up.

There were 7 girls out there. Aiko didn't even do so much as to even look at the other girls. She went out onto the ice and started warming up right away. 4 of girls looked considerably older than Aiko. The other 3 could be around the same age. It didn't matter, though. Aiko quickly started her warming up her jumps, landing each one smoother than the one before. It caught the other's attention right off the bat. That was her intention. She wanted to show them that this wasn't a game to her. She was going to prove herself today, no matter what.

"Look at how fierce she is!" Viktor said, gently hitting Yuuri on his leg out of excitement. "That's my girl!" he yelled out over the ice. Aiko looked up for a second and flashed a smirk at them. Soon the warm up was over and they left the ice. Aiko was 4th to go. She preferred to go later on but she didn't have much luck at the number draw.

The group watched the other girls carefully, critiquing them out loud to each other. They were certainly good but they had faith in Aiko.

"Kiki skate now?" Toshiro whined, squirming in his dad's lap.

"She is up next." Yuuri said, pulling him into his lap tightly so he didn't run away. The 3rd skater had finished, heading to the kiss and cry. Aiko slipped off her guards and handed her to the coach. They gave each other a hug before she got out onto the ice.

"Up next we have 13-year-old Aiko Katsuki-Nikiforova." the announcer rang, echoing through the entire rink. The entire group stood up and cheered loudly. She greeted the screaming audience with a beautiful smile, waving a little to her support group.

" Davai Kio! Davai !" Yuri yelled at the top of his lungs.

" Davai !" Otabek yelled at well, putting his thumb up in the air.

" Ganba sweetie!" Yuuri yelled. Toshio threw his arms up and cheered as well.

"You go baby girl! Show them what you are made of!" Viktor yelled.

"Katsuki-Nikiforov will be skating to Set Apart This Dream." the announcer said. The rink went quiet as she got into her opening position. She took a deep breath as the music started. She skated off starting her program off strong. The entire group watched her like a hawk, not wanting to miss a moment. Yuri pulled out his phone and started to record her.

It was time for the first jump. She never had a problem with this one. She launched herself into the air and did 3 beautiful rotations, landing smoothly onto the ice. It was perfect.

"Yes!" Yuri said, trying to hold his phone steady.

Every movement was polished. Her legs getting higher, her arms more graceful, and her facials as beautiful as ever. She had to remind herself to thank Yuri for making her do all that ballet training.

Next was her combination spin. She started in a camel spin that slowly changed into a layback. Her layback was even more graceful, her arms hovering above her head like a halo. As she continued in the layback spin, she grabbed her skate and lifted her leg up into a Bielmann spin, her leg higher than she ever had done before. It was nearly straight. The crowd reacted with loud roars.

"I told you that ballet training would do her some good!" Yuri said excitedly to Otabek. He reached out and grabbed his husbands hands firmly, nervous about the second half.

She wasn't nearly as tired as she should have been at this point in the program. Meaning those second half jumps wouldn't be as hard as they typically were. She had a triple axel coming up next. She relaxed her shoulders a bit and took a deep breath as she went in for the jump. She dug her toe pick into the ice and took off.

Everyone held their breath. Yuuri squeezed Viktor's hand tightly.

It was perfect. She landed it with such ease. The crowd erupted into cheers as she continued going, a huge smile plastered on her face. The step sequence was up next but she wasn't worried at all. Yuri had made her practice it so much she could do it in her sleep. Her confidence level was going through the roof at this point and it was easily visible though the way she was skating.

She was gliding through the step sequence without a foot out of place. Everything was clean and sharp as she went through it. She even added a quick leg extension at the end.

"She's getting happy." Viktor said, smiling.

"She's getting confident. She even adding in some things." Yuuri added.

"I guess it's in her blood to go against her coach." Yuri said, his eyes still glued to Aiko.

The end of the program was drawing near. She had one more jump left, a triple toe loop. She was getting ready to finish the best program she had ever done before. She was ready. She took a deep breath and went into the jump.

One. Two. Three rotations and the landing. She got too excited so she wobbled a little in the landing.

The entire group groaned. "So close!" Viktor said.

"She got too excited. That's okay, though. This is still the best she has ever skated." Yuuri pointed out.

"Shut it!" Yuri growled.

The song came to a close and Aiko was standing in her final position. She was breathing heavily. She had done it. Everything she had worked hard for had finally paid off. This is how skating was supposed to feel. She was falling in love with the ice again. She felt hot tears run down her quickly moved her hands to her face, letting go of her emotions and crying hard into her hands. The entire audience continued to scream. It certainly brought tears to Yuuri and Viktor's eyes. She was finally herself again.

She took a moment to gather herself up before greeting the audience once more. The crowd roared and various items were being tossed into the rink.

She lifted her arms over her head, displaying the smeared eyeliner and mascara that ran down her face and wet eyes she had been hiding behind her hands. But none of that mattered. She was proud of herself. She showed everyone in that building that she was a force to be reckoned with. Her last name had nothing to do with it.

The entire group was cheering as loud as they could. Aiko turned back around to face them, blowing them a kiss before skating off the ice to the kiss and cry.

"She probably blew her personal best out the water." Otabek said, sitting down. They all looked at the overhead screen, waiting patiently for her score. They all linked arms, squeezing tighter as the seconds ticked by slower than ever.

"Aiko Katsuki-Nikiforova scores a 72.45 on her short program! This a new personal best from the young skater."

The entire group stood up and cheered loudly.

"I told you. Blew it right out the water." Otabek said with a smile on his face.

"No one is going to catch her with a score like that!" Yuri said excitedly, grabbing Otabek's arms. "She is in a great place for the free skate tomorrow. All she will have to do is skate a decent program and the gold is hers!"

The next skater was being introduced in the midst of their conversation. They sat down, not wanting to be rude. They sat quietly through the rest the performances, waiting patiently to congratulate Aiko.

"You did so good!" Viktor said, picking Aiko up and swinging her around. "I have never seen you skate like that before!" He said, still squeezing her tightly.

"Papa. You are crushing me." Aiko managed to say. He let go and kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry moya krasavitsa. I am just so happy for you right now."

"We are all happy for you. You were amazing." Yuuri said with a bright smile. "Even Toshiro couldn't take his eyes off of you."

The toddler nodded happily. Aiko smiled and gently ruffled Toshiro's hair softly. "Thanks, Toshi."

"Bet you don't regret that ballet training now? Huh?" Yuri asked with a smirk on his face.

Aiko sighed and looked up at her uncle. "Thank you. It really did bring my program to an entirely different level." She admitted. Yuri patted the girl on the back.

"I knew that. That's why I did what I did. No need to thank me, just keep up with your training while I am gone. It would be a shame to see you at Junior Worlds with a sloppy routine."

Aiko cracked a smile and threw her arms around the blond skater. Yuri chuckled and hugged his niece back, kissing the top of her bun.

"Now let go eat. I'm sure after a performance like that, you must be starving!" Viktor exclaimed. The girl nodded and let go of Yuri.

"Let's go get ramen! You never let me have it!" Aiko said, excitedly walking up to the front of the group.

"Okay. Ramen it is then." Viktor said as he put his arm around his daughter and walked towards the city lights.

-The next day-

"Dad. Its a ponytail today remember. I'm doing the Little Mermaid program today." Aiko reminded Yuuri as he brushed her dark silver locks to the top of her head.

"I know. I know. Relax." He said as he wrapped the hair tie around the bundle of hair in his hand. He pulled it tight, causing Aiko to shiver in pain. "Sorry. It has to be tight otherwise it will come out."

"I know that but that doesn't stop it from hurting." She snapped back, crossing her arms across her chest. She had a very different type of program fit her free skate. It was fun and exciting, something she had fun doing. It was a good break from the nerve-racking program she did yesterday. Today, she could get on the ice and have fun.

Yuuri stuck the giant pink flower in her hair and smiled brightly. "All done." he said, tapping her shoulder as a gesture to stand up and look. She stood up and examined herself.

"Great. Thanks, daddy." She said as she grabbed her costume off the counter and headed into the bathroom to get dressed.

She came out a few moments later. "Daddy! Can you zip me up!" She called out. Yuuri walked over and carefully zipped up the back of the costume.

"I'm surprised you are doing this one for your free program. I thought you were going to do the one from the last competition." Yuuri said, fixing her costume in the back a bit.

"Coach and I talked about it. I told her I had been working so hard on the short program and that I wanted my free program to be something I can let loose on. She told me we couldn't have an entire routine ready in time so I suggested I do one I already knew. So, I chose this one. I have always had fun with it. It will probably be like 3 times better now that I have gotten better." She said, fixing the skirt a little.

This outfit, much like this program, was drastically different from her program yesterday. The top of the outfit was a light purple shade. The sleeves were sheer but covered in crystals. The bodice of the costume was a sheer nude color with the same crystal work as the sleeves. The skirt was a vivid green with shimmer on it to resemble a mermaid's tail.

"You look better in this outfit now than you did last time you performed it." Yuuri pointed out.

"Eh. I beg to differ. Now that I had that other costume, this feels so different." She said, turning around to look at herself.

"Are you almost ready? Yurio texted me and asked me if we were going to leave the room anytime soon." Viktor yelled from across the room.

"Yeah. I'm ready. I just need to put on my sweats." She said, walking out into the main room.

"Haven't seen that outfit in a while. You are doing the Little Mermaid today?" Viktor asked, carefully looking over the costume and hair piece. That costume was a year old at this point but it still fit her pretty well.

She nodded. "I thought I told you I was doing an old routine for his competition." Aiko plainly said as she slipped on her sweats and shrugged on her sweater.

"No, you didn't. I would have remembered something like that."

"I wouldn't doubt that it slipped her mind. You don't remember a lot of things. You are very forgetful Papa." She said, her tone very cold.

Viktor dramatically slumped down on the bed. "So mean to your own Papa." He said sadly.

Aiko chuckled and playfully rolled her eyes. "Let's go. Coach is probably waiting for me already." She said, opening the door. Yuuri grabbed Toshiro off the bed and headed out the door after her and Viktor, slowly but surely, followed suit. Yuri and Otabek were already waiting in the lobby, coffee in hand.

"Took you long enough!" Yuri yelled, standing up from his chair. Everyone chuckled at Yuri's little fit before heading to the rink.

"What kind of costume is that?" Yuri asked, slightly disgusted as he saw Aiko get ready to take the ice.

"She's supposed to be like Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Purple top, green tail." Viktor said, defending his taste in costume.

"It makes her look like a little girl. This is definitely something you designed for sure. Only you would make your 13-year-old daughter wear a costume that looks like it belongs to a 5-year-old." He pointed out. Viktor felt a stab to the heart, slumping again. Yuuri patted his husband head and smiled.

"It is an older costume. About a year old. It's not that bad. Is it Yuuri? I thought it was cute!" Viktor asked, snuggling into his husband's arm.

Yuuri gave a half-baked smile. "It's cute…" he said quietly, looking away from the Russian. He was never good at lying.

"You don't like it!?" Viktor yelled sadly.

"It's not that it is bad. It's just the style of it is a little young for someone her age. I know this costume is a year old but still...even for a 12-year-old, it's a little young." Yuuri explained. Viktor slumped even more, making a loud groaning noise as he went down. Yuuri gave a deep sigh and turned away from Viktor. He was such a drama king.

"Is papa okay?" Toshiro asked from Yuuri lap.

"Yes. He is just being overdramatic as usual. Let him be. He will snap out of it soon enough." Yuuri said, turning his attention back to the ice.

"Up next to skate is Aiko Katsuki-Nikiforova who is currently sitting in first place with a score of 72.45." The announcer said. The crowd cheered once again as she skated onto the ice, greeting the audience.

Viktor sat up from his slump and looked over at the ice.

"She will be skating to Under the Sea." The announcer called out as Aiko got in her opening stance.

"Davai!" Yuri and Otabek said together.

"Let's go Aiko!" Yuuri cheered.

"Kiki go!" Toshiro yelled, bouncing on Yuuri's lap.

"Let's go baby girl!" Viktor yelled.

The music started and the familiar words echoed through the entire rink.

 **Ariel, listen to me**

She raised her hands over her head and clapped twice to the beat before striking another quick pose.

 **The human world, it's a mess**

 **Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there**

The beginning was always her favorite. It put her in a good mood for the rest of the program. She started off the program with tons of energy, nearly dancing around on the ice.

 **The seaweed is always greener**

 **In somebody else's lake**

 **You dream about going up there**

 **But that is a big mistake**

 **Just look at the world around you**

 **Right here on the ocean floor**

 **Such wonderful things surround you**

 **What more is you lookin' for?**

She dug her toe pick into the ice and flew. Three quick rotations later, she landed beautifully. A perfect triple axel. She quickly went into her second jump, a single. She followed that with a double toe loop. Her combination was flawless. A smile was plastered on her face. The program had just started and she was already having fun. The audience started to clap with the beat, giving her even more energy to keep it up.

 **Under the sea**

 **Under the sea**

 **Darling it's better**

 **Down where it's wetter**

 **Take it from me**

 **Up on the shore they work all day**

 **Out in the sun they slave away**

 **While we devotin'**

 **Full time to floatin'**

 **Under the sea**

"This isn't half bad Viktor. It's fun and but still challenging enough for her. I'm surprised." Yuri said, clapping along to the beat with everyone else. "I know what I am doing Yurio. Didn't I choreograph the routine that gave you the best senior debut a kid could have asked for?" he said, smirking a bit at Yuri.

"Quiet old man! I am trying to watch." Yuri said, avoiding the question like the plague.

"I think I am more surprised at the song choice. I know you aren't the type for something so..modern for lack of a better word. You like classical sounding things. Didn't think you were the type to choreograph a program to something like this." Otabek said, looking over at the older Russian man.

"It was a special exception. She had been asking for a program to this song for years. I told her no for a long time. Until one day we made a bet since she was in a huge slump. I told her if she could get first place at one the toughest competitions of the year, I would do it. She won and I had to uphold my end of the bargain. I ended up liking it more than some of her programs. She always had a lot of fun skating it. I would have anything to see that smile, even if it meant stepping out my comfort zone." Viktor explained, finding himself smiling at the thought.

She was already more than halfway through her program and she was still full of energy. She took the middle of the ice and started off in a sit spin. After a while, she transitioned into a camel spin. She grabbed the back of her skate and lifted her leg to her ear to finish in an I spin. She let go and went quickly into her step sequence.

 **The newt play the flute**

 **The carp play the harp**

 **The plaice play the bass**

 **And they soundin' sharp**

 **The bass play the brass**

 **The chub play the tub**

 **The fluke is the duke of soul**

 **The ray he can play**

 **The lings on the strings**

 **The trout rockin' out**

 **The blackfish she sings**

 **The smelt and the sprat**

 **They know where it's at**

 **An' oh that blowfish blow**

It was quick paced just like she was used to. She went through it with ease, her skates perfecting carving the ice with every movement of her foot. She ended the step sequence with a split jump, her arms gracefully to either side of her body, like a ballerina.

The crowd reacted positively at the jump, cheering loudly.

She danced on, skating across the ice like it was her dance floor.

 **What do they got? A lot of sand**

 **We got a hot crustacean band**

 **Each little clam here**

 **know how to jam here**

 **Under the sea**

 **Each little slug here**

 **Cuttin' a rug here**

 **Under the sea**

She lifted her leg for a spiral, taking a deep breath before the finale. From the spiral, she dug her pick into the ice and launched herself into a triple lutz. Another flawless jump. The end of the program was a series of spins, ending in a scratch spin.

 **Each little snail here**

 **Know how to wail here**

 **That's why it's hotter**

 **Under the water**

 **Ya we in luck here**

 **Down in the muck here**

 **Under the sea**

She ended the program with a sharp pose. Her arms were raised over her head, crossed at the wrist and her hip off to the side with her other leg stretched out the side and her toe pointed. She had a huge smile on her face she tried to catch her breath. The entire rink was cheering. Various banners and flags were being shaken in the air. It was surreal.

She moved from her pose to greet the audience, bowing a bit in each direction to show her affection. She wiped the sweat from her brows as she skated off to the gate where her coach was waiting. She slipped on her guards and gave Yuna a huge hug. Yuna handed Aiko her sweater and one of the plush gifts, a giant piece of candy,, from the ice. The older woman put her arm around her shoulder and headed to the kiss and cry.

"You did amazing out there Aiko! I am so proud of you." Coach Yuna said, squeezing the younger girl's shoulder. Aiko smiled and sat down on the bench first.

"You are going to get a great score. You had a few mistakes, but not enough to really mess up your score. You just got a little too excited sometimes." the older man said with a giggle.

"And the free skate program score for Aiko Katsuki-Nikiforova is 121.25. A new personal best. She is currently in first with 193.70 points." the announcer rang out. Aiko face lit up. She reached over and gave Yuna a huge hug. She looked back up at the screen and waved to everyone cheering her on. She blew a kiss as well, hoping her family knew that was just for them.

After the medal ceremony, Aiko ran up to the group of men, her gold medal shining around her neck. She dropped her bag on the ground and ran right into Yuuri's arms first, giving him a huge hug. Yuuri squeezed her tightly and kissed her head.

"Congratulations Kiki. We are so proud of you." he said, trying to choke down his tears. He held her tightly. "So very proud. You were beautiful out there. There is no doubt you can go to so much further as you grow up". He pulled away and gave a soft smile. He kissed her forehead and pushed her over to Viktor, who was a crying mess.

"Y-You were so beautiful Aiko! You skated like a professional out there. It was just like I have always imagined." Viktor said though his tears. He wrapped his arms around the young girl and cried right into the top of her ponytail. "I am so proud of you moya milaya ."

"Papa you are embarrassing me." she said quietly as people were turning around to see the crying Russian holding on to her.

"Let me have this moment Aiko!" he yelled, still crying into the girl's hair. Aiko let out a deep sigh and wrapped her arms around Viktor. She pressed her face into his chest.

"I couldn't have done it without you and Papa. You guys have taught me so much. Thank you. I love you." she mumbled. This sent Viktor into full blown sobs.

"I love you too Aiko! You are the best daughter a man could ask for." he sobbed, pulling away from the girl. She gave him a soft smile and used her sleeve to wipe up some of the tears.

"Now please calm down. You are causing a commotion." she said softly. Viktor nodded, stifling his tears.

Yuri patted his niece's head a few times, causing her to turn to face him. "You did great Kio. Take the feelings from this win and channel it into your practice. You have to stay up in order to peak at Junior Worlds. I don't doubt you can make it there. But just know, I expect nothing less than gold from you. You proved to me this weekend that you have some serious talent. You are better than some of the older girls at the rink back at home. You skate like you are already a senior, even if you are wearing a child's costume." he said. "Can't wait to see you dominate. Maybe then we will stop hearing about your papa over there." Yuri joked, pulling the girl into a side hug. Aiko giggled and nodded.

They walked out the rink together, Yuri with his arm still around Aiko's shoulder.

"I can't wait for the rest of the season. I'll show everyone how much I love to skate." Aiko said with a smile so big, it lit up the entire rink.


	6. I Want

"Papa? Daddy?" the 2 year old said, looking from his toy cars to face his parents.

"Yes Toshiro?" Yuuri asked, glancing up from his tablet to make eye contact with his son. Viktor kept his eyes on his notebook as he took a sip of coffee.

"When do _I_ get a little bro or sissy? I want one." the toddler asked nonchalantly.

Viktor spit his coffee out over his notebook, thoroughly soaking the page in the bitter drink. Yuuri choked on his own spit, coughing loudly in the process.

"What?" They asked in unison.

"A baby sissy...I want one." The boy said nonchalantly, rolling his toy car on his leg.

The question certainly caught the couple off guard. They weren't expecting this conversation to happen for a least another few years. It definitely wasn't something they were prepared for by any means. Yuuri gently beat his chest to get out his last cough.

"Uhh…." Yuuri stumbled, searching for his words. They never had to deal with this situation before. Their eldest was a very different child.

Aiko never asked the question. She found comfort in being the only child, mostly because she was shy and quiet for most of her life. She enjoyed her alone time, even when she was small (it also helped that she was spoiled by nearly everyone). Being the only child for 11 years only made it worse. She became accustomed to the fact that she would be the only child for the rest of her life, or so she told when the time came, she didn't take the news of her little brother well.

" _Aiko, sweetie, come to the living room. Your papa and I have something to tell you." Yuuri said, poking his head in her room. The young girl put down her book and joined her parents in the living room._

" _Sit. Sit." Yuuri said, gesturing over to the couch. Yuuri had pulled up 2 chairs in front for himself and Viktor. Viktor sat down first, taking a deep breath as he did. Yuuri sat down next to him, grabbing his hand and rubbing it gently._

" _Did someone die or something?" Aiko asked, confused by the display her parents were putting on. They didn't act like this. They were nervous obviously and it looked like they hadn't slept all night._

" _No. No one died….it's quite the opposite actually" Viktor said, nearly whispering that last part._

 _The girl cocked her head to the side. They definitely were not themselves. The silence between the 2 parties was drawing out, making the situation awkward. It was now or never._

" _Aiko….you are going to be a big sister." Yuuri said, meeting the gaze of their eldest with a smile._

 _The girl didn't smile back. Her brows furrowed as she sat back on the couch, Her arms crossed over her chest._

" _What? You're kidding me, right? If this is a joke, it isn't funny." She asked, crossing her arms across her chest._

 _Yuuri and Viktor shared a deep sigh. They knew this was going to happen._

" _It's not a joke. Your little brother will be here in October." Yuuri said, biting his lip a bit. He didn't want to yell at her. This was a lot for her to take in already, yelling would just make it worse_

" _Was...this planned? Why didn't you ask me how I felt first?" She asked, starting to dig._

" _It doesn't matter if it was planned Aiko. That's between your dad and I. What matters is that there will be a baby in this house soon. Your life is going to change, whether you like it or not." Viktor said, his icy eyes intense._

 _Aiko turned her head, taking a few deep breaths to keep the tears at bay._

" _Was I not enough?" Aiko asked, her voice cracking as she tried to keep her tears at bay._

" _Aiko…that's not it at all." Viktor said, reaching out to grab her hand. She flinched and pulled her hand away. She stood up and ran to her room, slamming the door shut._

" _She will come around. Give her some time." Yuuri said, rubbing his husbands shoulders. Viktor unconsciously put a hand to his midsection and sighed deeply._

" _I sure hope so…"_

The blond boy was waiting patiently for his answer.

"Well ummm...don't you like being the baby Toshiro?" Viktor asked, trying to steer the boy away from the question.

"I not a baby. I big boy now." He huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. His little blond bangs gently fell in his face with his anger.

"But you're our baby still. Don't you want it to stay that way?" Yuuri asked, pushing the fallen hair from his face.

He shook his head. "I want baby sissy." He demanded, his little pink lips in a pout.

Both men let out a frustrated sigh. They weren't going to get away with this one, that's for sure.

"It's not that easy to give you what you just don't come off trees, Toshiro" Viktor started, putting his coffee soaked notebook off to the side.

"Babies come from . You say so! Ask Mr. Stork for baby sissy." He said, his little face getting red with anger.

Viktor cursed under his breath. He didn't think that story would come to bite him in the ass.

"Mr. Stork has a lot of babies to deliver every day. It takes a long time."

"How long?" He whined.

"A long time." Viktor said.

"How long?" The child asked again, this time with more vigor.

"Almost a year." Yuuri said. "That doesn't count the time it take for to get the message. It could take years." He explained, glancing over at Viktor to back him up.

"Yup. Daddy is right. You could be all grown up before he comes." Viktor said, ruffling the boy's hair

"All grown up?" He asked shakily.

"Yup. Aiko was 11 years old when brought you to us."

Tears starts to fall down the boy's red cheeks. He put his arms across his chest again. "Not fair!" He yelled, flailing his legs into the ground in protest.

"Toshiro. Enough with the tantrum." Viktor started. "We can't just you a sister because you want one. Throwing a fit isn't going to change that."

The boy started to cry louder, screaming practically. He laid face down into the carpet and started screaming. He repeatedly threw his legs into the ground. Yuuri put his head in his hands. This was the mother of all tantrums.

"Get your son Viktor. " He said to his husband under his breath

"Viktorovich! Stop it right now or I'll take all your cars away and you will stand in the corner." Viktor said intensely, scolding the screaming child.

The child flipped over on his back and continued his tantrum. "Not fair! Not fair! Not fair" he repeated over and over again. "Kiki got me. Why can't I have one!" He screamed.

"Kiki got you when she was older. She was alone for a long time." Viktor explained, sighing deeply.

The boy continued crying loudly, throwing his arms and legs around in a fit. Viktor sighed deeply and started pick up all the toys cars off the floor.

"What if Papa and I bought you a baby doll? That way you could have your own 'baby sister' to take care of?" Yuuri asked, practically begging for the boy to stop crying at this point.

"No! I no want that!" He yelled, throwing all his limbs onto the floor at once.

Yuuri sighed deeply and started to help Viktor pick up the toys on the floor. "We tried to be nice. I asked you to stop and you didn't so now we are taking away your toys." He said.

The boy sat up quickly, still crying. "Noooooo! Not my cars!" He sobbed, hitting his hands on the ground.

"When you act like the big boy you told me you were, you can have these back." Yuuri explained, putting all the toys in a nearby toy box.

"Noooooo…" he whined, pulling his knees up to his chest to continue crying loudly. "Not fair."

"Hes such a drama king. I wonder where he gets that from." Yuuri said, cutting his eyes over toward Viktor.

Viktor nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah. I wonder."

Yuuri rolled his eyes.

It was a while before Toshiro started to quiet down, realizing he wasn't going to get what he wanted this time. Yuuri and Viktor simply let him cry it out. There was nothing they could do. They couldn't promise him anything, especially not a child they were ready for.

He sniffles loudly and wiped his tears on his messy sleeve.

"Are you done throwing a fit now? Viktor asked the toddler, looking up from his phone.

He nodded and sniffled one more time.

"Come here. Your face is a mess." Viktor said, opening his arms out to Toshiro. The boy got up and climbed up into his Papa's lap. Viktor grabbed a napkin from the side table and gently cleaned off the boy's dripping nose.

"You can't get everything by throwing a tantrum Toshiro. You have stop all that." Viktor explained, making sure to get the dried bits out as well.

The door flung open and Aiko walked in, taking her shoes off at the door.

"I'm home!" she rang out.

"Welcome home sweetie." Viktor said. Toshiro squirmed away of Viktor's touch and ran over to his sister.

" Hi Kiki! Kiki! Hi!" He excitedly called out, holding his arms in the air. Aiko chuckled and dropped her school bag down and bent down to pick him up.

"Ughh you are getting heavy Toshi. I won't be able to pick you up pretty soon." She said, putting her arms under his thighs to steady him. The boy laid his head on her shoulder, wrapping her arms around her neck.

"I miss you sissy…" he said quietly.

Aiko smiled softly and pet the toddler's head. "I missed you too Toshi." he pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of the boy's head.

Both Viktor and Yuuri watched the tender moment unfold. Yuuri leaned back and pressed his body against his husbands chest. Viktor instinctively wrapped his arms around the younger man's shoulders.

"Who would have thought they would be so close?" Yuuri said, leaning his head back to look at Viktor.

"You did say she would come around." He said, pressing a kiss to the back of his dark locks.

" _Aiko. Ready to come meet you baby brother?" Yuuri asked the young girl._

 _She was sitting in the hospital waiting room with a few of her family members. Everyone was giddy about the new baby, making comments about how they can't wait to see him. Well, everyone except her._

 _She sat alone on a corner chair, headphones in and tuned out. She didnt hear what her dad had said so she pulled out a headphone._

" _Do you want to meet your baby brother?" He asked._

 _She sighed and shoved her headphones in her pocket. She stood up and followed her dad to the back of the hospital. He knocked a few times before letting himself in._

" _Its Aiko and I. She's ready to meet him." Yuuri said in a little sing song voice. Aiko rolled her eyes._

 _Viktor looked up with a soft smile, still looking very much disheveled. He had the small baby in his arms, holding him close to his chest._

" _Aiko, meet Toshiro." Viktor said, pulling the blanket down to show the new baby's face. Contrary to Aiko darker silver hair, the baby boy had bright blond hair, nearly white if the lights were bright enough. Her eyes didn't leave the child's._

" _Do you want to hold him?" Viktor asked._

 _She opened her mouth to give a response but nothing came out. She was going to say something snappy, something that would have made Yuuri give her a stern look. But she couldn't do anything but look at the tiny child in her Papa's arms. She took a step closer to Viktor, standing by the bed at this point. He leaned over and carefully set the baby in her arms._

" _Make sure you support his head okay?" He said. She quickly raised her arm to catch the baby's head in the crook of her arm. The infant made a small noise and Aiko's breath hitched in her throat._

" _H-hi Toshiro...ummm...I don't think you understand what I'm saying and ummm... that's okay. I'm your...big sister." She said, her voice cracking at bit at the words big sister. Toshiro made another small noise, moving around a bit in her arms. She gently bounced him, like she saw once on TV. "Please don't cry." She whispered._

 _Yuuri sat on side of the bed, lacing his fingers with Viktor's. They couldn't help but crack a smile as they carefully watched the siblings interact for the first time._

 _The newborn opened his eyes for a second, blinking at his older sister. He had her Papa's icy blue eyes. He quickly closed his eyes again, gently falling asleep. She let out a soft gasp and looked up at the men on the bed._

" _H-His eyes! They're blue! Like Papa's." She exclaimed. She looked back down to see again but the tired infant had closed his eyes. The edges of her lips curled into a soft smile as she continued to bounce the baby. He quietly cooed in his sleep, puttinf his fingers to his lips._

" _Maybe it won't be so bad having you around." She whispered to Toshiro._

Aiko was sitting on the floor, playing cars with Toshiro. She gave in to the child's whim, making car noises along with him.

"Beep beep!" Toshiro said, his car in front of Aiko's.

"Beep beep." She replied back, making driving noises as she pulled away. They drove along the floor together, driving up tables, chairs, and even couches.

"Sissy?" Toshiro asked, moving the car back and forth on the carpet.

"Hmm?"

"You want a baby sissy too?" He asked, his big blue eyes catching Aiko's attention right away.

"A baby sister?"

Toshiro nodded. "I want baby sissy but daddy and papa say no. takes long." He pouted.

"But you have a big sister right here! I'm much more fun!" Aiko said, scooping him up into her lap and kissing all over his face. Toshiro started to giggle, trying to block her kisses. "Just wait until you get old like me, you will appreciate her a lot more. You will have more fun with her than you could if you had one right now. I promise. " She said, stopping the kisses for just a moment.

Toshiro looked up at her, his eyes shining in the light, just like the first time she saw him. Aiko melted a bit, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a big hug. "Just...stay my baby brother for a while okay?"

Toshiro nodded, burying her face in her shoulder. Aiko ran her fingers through that messy blond hair of his before letting go.

"Kids! Go wash up for dinner!" Viktor yelled from the kitchen. Aiko stood up first, taking the small boy's hand and walking to the bathroom to wash their hands.

"I don't want baby sissy no more." Toshiro asked, his face covered in pasta sauce.

Yuuri was caught off guard for a second. "What?" He asked.

Toshiro nodded and stuffed a small fork full of pasta in his mouth. "I the baby _now_. Baby sissy come later. When I grow up." He said proudly.

Yuuri and Viktor let out a sigh of relief. They were going to have to take Aiko to get a new lipstick or something after this.

"So you want to stay the baby for now?" Viktor asked.

"Yup!" He said, his mouth full of half chewed pasta.

"Good. Just remember you will always be our baby boy. No matter what. Even when you grow up and leave us. Or if you get a baby brother or sister in the future." Viktor said with a big smile on his face.

Toshiro smiled back as large as he could, with pasta sauce all over the place.

Bonus:

"Why does it smell like coffee in here? It's 8 at night." Yuri asked as he stepped in the door, Otabek in hand.

He noticed Viktor coffee covered notebook first. Then the small coffee stains on the floor in front of the couch.

He could hear Viktor and Yuuri laughing from the kitchen. Yuri furrowed his brows and listened closely. Otabek tried to pull him back to the room.

"Leave them Yura." He whispered, putting his free hand on his shoulder. Yuri smacked his hand away and continued to listen.

"Vitya...stop it!" Yuuri giggled. "What if Toshiro comes in?"

"Then we will tell him we are making his baby sister." Viktor said seductively. Yuuri laughed and wrapped his arms around his lover.

Yuri stormed into the kitchen to find Yuuri sitting one of the counter and Viktor wrapped in Yuuri's legs and his arms around his neck. Viktor had his hands on Yuuri's waist, his face buried in his husbands neck.

"How disgusting! On your kitchen counters? Remind me not to eat at your house anymore." He yelled. Both men looked over at the younger Russian.

"Don't act like you don't have fun in your own place. Otabek told me a few things about you. Didn't know you were into all that Yurio, or as Otabek would say, _kitten_." Viktor said, his lips curling to a smirk on that last word

Yuri face turned dark red right away. He looked over at Otabek. The tall man shrugged. "I wanted some advice." He said plainly. It took all of Yuri's self restraint not to choke his husband to death right at that moment.

"Why would you tell _him_ that!?" He practically growled. "If anything I would ask Katsudon first. _He_ can keep his mouth shut unlike that fucking asshole!" He said, balling his fists up tightly.

Otabek shrugged again. "I'm sorry Yura."

Yuri sat in a nearby chair and pulled his hood over his beet red face. "I hate all of you…" He grumbled.


	7. School Days

Aiko took a brush to her signature silver bed head, her music playing just loud enough for her to hear. Her parents and little brother were sleeping still, so she didn't want to wake them this early in the morning.

She started getting up earlier to get ready for school now, taking time to do her hair and makeup. She turned on her curling iron and ran a brush through her hair a few more times, singing softly to herself.

"They'll be no more darkness when believe in yourself, you are unstoppable. Where your destiny lies, dancing on the the blades, you set my heart on fire." She sang softly, grabbing a strand of hair and wrapping in the hot tool.

"Don't stop us now. The moment of truth, we were born to make history. We will make it happen. We'll turn it around. Yes we were born to make history." She sang, dancing a little as the beat dropped.

This continued until her entire head was full of tight silver bouncy curls. It was something out of her comfort zone for sure but she wanted to put in a little extra effort today. She ran her fingers through the curls to separate them. She took a bobby pin to her bangs and did a little poor in the front.

She reached into her drawer nearby and pulled out an eye liner pen. She shook it a few times before popping off the cap and leaning close to the mirror.

"Okay eyeliner. Cooperate with me today please." She whispered to herself before putting the pen to her eyelid and drawing a small black line and winging out the end.

"Aiko! You are going to be late for school if you don't hurry up!" Viktor said as he knocked on her door, Toshiro sleepily hanging off his hip. The toddler had climbed into their bed last night after a bad dream. So naturally, he was forced to get up when his parents did.

"I know! I can't find my socks anywhere. Have you seen them?" Aiko asked, opening the door.

"No. You just throw them off when you get home so they could be anywhere. Check under the couch first." He said, turning around and walking to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

She groaned loudly and ran out the living room and started to frantically look through everything. Yuuri sleepily walked through the hallway when he noticed Aiko tearing up the living room.

"What's going on here?"

"I can't find my socks anywhere. Have you seen them?"

"Last time I saw them, they were by your closet doors in your room. Did you look in the closet?"

She got up and ran to her room, throwing the closet door open and finding the 2 knee high socks on the floor. She picked them up and slid them on her feet before grabbing her school bag and running to the kitchen. She swung open the fridge, grabbing her lunch out the back.

"We could just drive you to school today ya know? That way you wouldn't have to run and you could have breakfast with us." Yuuri said as he fixed his coffee. Viktor was at the stove cooking breakfast, the sleepy toddler still on his hip.

"Do you know how embarrassing that would be? All the upperclassmen would be talking about me for weeks!" She said, grabbing an apple out the fruit basket on the table. "You made me a big lunch today so you even if I don't eat a lot right now, I can eat some of it during break." She mentioned, taking a big bite out of her apple. She looked over at the time and gasped.

"Shit! I gotta go!" She said, running to give everyone a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

"Language Aiko!"

"You have been hanging out with your Uncle Yurio too much lately." Viktor grumbled.

"I'm off!" She yelled, running to the door, slipping her school shoes on and running out the door. She ran all the way until she made it to the convenience store. 2 girls were waiting for her in front of the bike rack.

"About time you got here! We almost left without you." One of the girls said, putting her hands on her hips. Aiko put her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

" I'm...sorry...I lost my socks...it took too long to find. " She said, breathing heavily.

"You are speaking English again."

" Ahh !" She said quickly switching into Japanese. "I'm sorry. Force of habit. It's all I speak at home so switching languages takes a conscious switch."

"It's fine. Come on, let's go before we are late." She said, holding her hand out to help her up. Aiko took her hand and stood up. She fixed up her uniform in the window of the store, pulling her skirt back down and fixing her necktie. They all started walking towards school.

"Your hair is cute today Aiko-chan." Chio said, looking at the bouncy curls. She ran her fingers though the silver spirals and smiled.

"Thanks. I wanted to try something different today."

"Yeah. Different so a certain someone will say something!"

Aiko turned beet red and gently shoved the girl away. "Chio-chan!"

"What? It's true! You only do something different when you want to hear something different enough from Toyama-kun. Right Kotori-chan?"

"She is right." Kotori said, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder.

"Its that obvious?"

Both girls nodded and Aiko hung her head in shame and Chio put her arm over her.

"It's okay!" She said with a smile. "We wouldn't let you embarrass yourself that much." She said, pulling her close. "You still have him at the rink though. We can't help you there."

"I know. His coach changed up his practice times and my coach has been on my head so we don't see each other at the rink as often anymore." She said sadly.

"Aren't your parents your coaches?" Kotori asked.

"Not anymore. He finally let me go so now I have a new coach."

"Nice! So now you can do what you want at the rink huh?" Chio said excitedly, grabbing Aiko's arm.

"Not exactly. My papa still coaches there. My dad teaches classes. Plus, my aunt who works there is a narc and tells my Papa everything when neither of them are there. That time Toyama-kun helped me off the ice when I fell, she thought he was trying to touch me and she told my papa right away and I was nearly grounded for a month."

"The glory of having family everywhere in the skating world. You are never safe." Kotori said, scrolling through her phone. Aiko nodded.

They got to school with enough free time to spare. Aiko and her friends quickly went to their shoe lockers, switching them to their indoor shoes. Aiko was bent over, fixing her shoe.

"Good morning Katsuki-san." Hikaru said. Aiko quickly stood up, smiling a bit.

"Good morning Toyama-kun." She said back, a little blush feathering over her cheeks. She pushed a few curls behind her ear before putting her shaking hands behind her back.

"Your hair is pretty today. You should wear it like that for a competition one day. It would be really nice."

Aiko blushed a little deeper, running her fingers through her curls. "Really? Thank you. I thought I would try something new today. I wasn't sure if it was going to suit me."

"Don't worry. It suits you well." A few boys yelled Hikaru's name, calling him over to the group. Toyama smiled and waved goodbye at Aiko. "See you in class."

"See you in class." Aiko waved back, before turning around and running to Chio and Kotori.

"He said my hair really suits me and I should wear it like this for a competition." She gushed, her cheeks still flushed red.

"He's getting better with his compliments," Chio said, looking on her phone.

"Yeah remember that one time he compared you to a wet puppy?" Kotori said, laughing a bit at the memory. Aiko sent a quick look over to Kotori.

"Let's not talk about that." She grumbled, walking towards her classroom.

It was full of life, as always. The three girls walked in and headed over to Aiko's desk first. She sat in the 3 rd row by the window, a great seat compared to the other girls who were settled in the middle of the room.

"Did you guys do the math homework? I didn't get to finish." Aiko said, pulling her notebook out her bag and flipping through the pages.

"Yeah. It was finally something I could understand for once." Kotori said, pulling her notebook as well to look over it.

"You are talking about math but English is going to be the death of me, I swear!" Chio groaned, putting her head on the desk.

"You act like you don't have someone who speaks fluent English with you every day. I speak English more than I speak Japanese! I can help you!" Aiko giggled.

"I ask you for enough help! I'm going to learn myself. I can barely talk to your family when I come over as it is!"

"You always make such a deal about speaking English when you come over. Did you forget my dad is Japanese?"

"I know but it must be weird for your dad, right?"

"No. He speaks to me and my little brother in Japanese all the time. Even my papa knows a good amount. It's not some strange phenomena."

"I don't know why you make such a big deal Chio-chan. I speak in Japanese when I go over and it's not a problem. Even Aiko's little brother understand a little bit of what I am saying. They are a Japanese family, just with a Russian twist."

Chio laid her head on the desk and sighed deeply. Kotori giggled and went back to scrolling on her phone.

"Hey! Katsuki-san! Come here!" one of the boys from Hikaru's group yelled from across the classroom. Aiko got up and walked over to the group of boys. The one who yelled at her put his arm around her shoulder. Aiko tensed up right away.

"I didn't know you had a second last name!"

"Y-Yeah. It's Katsuki-Nikiforova. It's too much to say so I have just used Katsuki in school."

"Where is that second name from? I can't even pronounce it."

"It's Russian."

"Russian?"

"Yeah. I am half Russian." She said, gently moving out the boy's arm. "My middle name is Russian too."

"So what's your full name?"

"Aiko Viktorovna Katsuki-Nikiforova." She said, her Russian melting off her tongue with ease.

"That is a pretty long name. Why 2 last names though?"

"My parents couldn't decide which one to use when they got married, so they just used both. So we are technically the Katsuki-Nikiforov's. All our mail comes like that."

"Wow. That's kinda cool." One boy said.

"Now my name sounds super boring compared to Katsuki-san's." Another said.

"So do you speak Russian or Japanese in your house?"

"We actually speak English with splashes of both other languages. Mostly when my parents are mad."

"Wow. So you speak Russian? And English?"

"Yeah. My English is leagues better than my Russian though. I don't use it enough to be completely fluent."

"Say something in Russian!" one of the boys yelled. Soon the entire group was begging to hear some Russian from Aiko. She sighed deeply. There was very much a reason she kept to herself and this was one of them.

"I've never heard you actually speak Russian Aiko-chan. Only English. This will be interesting." Chio said, sitting on a nearby desk.

"YA ne lyublyu delat' takogo roda veshchi. YA chuvstvuyu, kak tsirkovaya zhivotnoye . Pozhaluysta, ne sprashivayte menya, chtoby sdelat' eto snova ." She said, her accent thick around the words. Her papa would certainly scold her the way she pronounced some of those words, but it was the best she could do under pressure with no practice.

The crowd was stunned, mumbling to each other.

"That is so cool!"

"Sounds complicated."

"What did she even say!?"

"She can speak Russian, English, and Japanese and I can't even get my Japanese right."

Aiko but a nervous hand behind her neck. "My Russian isn't that good guys. My papa and uncle would have yelled at me for the way I said some of those words."

"Still! You can speak it enough!"

The homeroom teacher opened the door, causing the kids to quickly make their way to their assigned seats, starting class.

Aiko pulled out her lunch from her bag and set it down in front of her. She was starving at this point since all she had for breakfast was an apple. Chio and Kotori came over to her desk, setting their lunches down next to theirs as well.

"Looks like mom made me the same thing again." Chio said as she opened the lid to her lunch box.

"My mom has made me the same thing every day since I started high school. Something about how it can help brain activity. I love her but she needs to stop reading internet articles." Kotori said, pulling out her chopsticks and digging into her lunch. Aiko opened her lunch as well, grabbing her chopsticks off the top. She took a huge bite of the omelet on top.

"I usually get leftovers but I think my dad something a little different this time. I know some of this leftover from out Katsudon bowls last night but I think he like made a whole new meal out of it. That's kinda cool." She said, taking another big bite.

"I heard we are getting a new English teacher since Kenji-sensei went out on maternity leave." Kotori said.

"That's going to be interesting. I hope sensei calls on Aiko first so she can show off her stuff."

"No way! Then I would get called on all the time to say stuff. Kenji-sensei did that all the time." She said, stilling chewing her food in her mouth.

"Hey! It helps us who have a hard time with English!" Chio whined, pouting her lips at Aiko a bit.

"I can help you in private. Not in front of the entire class. Its embarrassing ya know."

"Even your cell phone is in English! Don't act so shy." Chio pointed out.

"I just don't want to cause any more attention to myself. I'm already treated different enough. I don't want people to think I am any different than them. I get enough at the rink. I don't need it here."

"It's bound to happen Aiko-chan. You are trying to go to the Junior World Championship right? And the Junior Grand Prix? Your face will be all over Hatsesu! The entire town will be cheering for you. There is no way to hide from that." Kotori said, taking another bit of her lunch. Aiko put her face on the table and groaned loudly. Chio ran her hand over her shoulder.

"It will be fine. We won't treat you any different! You will still be plain old Aiko in our eyes! Right Kotori-chan?" Chio said with a big smile on her face. Kotori made a noise in agreement. Aiko looked up from the desk with a soft smile.

"Thanks you guys." She said, sitting back up to finish her lunch.

After school, all 3 girls met up by their shoe lockers. They changed out of their indoor shoes quickly, ready to go home.

"Katsuki-san, Sato-san, Kawano-san!"

All 3 girls turned around at once. It was the small group of boys that Hikaru was hanging out with from earlier.

"We are going to go and get some food then karaoke! Do you girls want to come?" One of the boys, Daichi Ito, asked.

"Why would we go out with you guys?" Kotori asked coldly.

"Don't be so mean Kotori-chan." Chio said.

"So is that a yes?" another boy, Hideki Yamamoto, asked.

"Never said that!" Chio said with a smile.

"I think it would be fun. We all have known each other for years so why not hang out like friends?" Hikaru said, keeping his eyes on Aiko.

The young girl blushed and slightly turned her head. "I mean...What's the harm? We don't have school tomorrow. Why not have some fun?" she said quietly, looking up at her friends.

Chio and Kotori let out a deep sigh. They knew why she wanted to go.

"What about you 2?"

"Like we are going to leave Aiko-chan alone with you boys! Of course, we are going!" Chio said, grabbing Aiko's arms possessively.

"Great! Let's go then!" Daichi said, marching in front of the group. They all started to walk towards the entrance of the school.

Aiko quickly pulled out her cell phone to send a quick text to her dad. There was no way she was telling her papa Viktor that she and her friends were going to be hanging out with boys.

 **[4:45 pm Aiko: Dad, I am going to hang out with Chio, Kotori, Toyama-kun, and some of Toyama-kun's friends. I will be home late.]**

 **[4:50 pm Dad: Toyama?]**

 **[4:50 pm Aiko: Hikaru Toyama. From the rink.]**

 **[4:52 pm Dad: Oh! Okay. Have fun. Keep me updated okay. If I need to come get you, let me know.]**

 **[4:53 pm Aiko: Thanks. Please don't tell Papa though. I don't want him to lose it because I am with boys.]**

 **[4:53 pm Dad: I got you covered sweetie. Have a good time.]**

She let out a relieved sigh as they continued to walk.

"I am glad you girls decided to come." Hikaru said, walking to catch up to Aiko. She quickly shoved her phone in her pocket and looked up at the young boy. He smiled softly and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah." she said quietly. She took a long look at the boy next to her.

He was probably a head taller than her. He had a long messy mop of dark hair on the top of his head which reached the back of his neck. He slicked it back or put it in a tiny ponytail when he was skating. He had dark brown eyes, which didn't bother her at all seeing as her entire household was filled with unique eye colors. But his smile was something else. It was the reason she started to like him in the first place. He was never ashamed to smile wide. His eyes would squint up depending on how wide he would smile. It was like he was glowing.

"I saw your programs from the competition the other day." he started, his cheeks feathering with pink.

"Y-You did?"

"Yeah. I was watching a live stream. You really were amazing." he said, his cheeks getting darker.

Aiko's face turned red as well. "T-thank you Toyama-kun."

"I mean..I have been watching you practice your short program for months now. But that...it was something entirely different. I can't tell you what made it change, but it was phenomenal. I was actually kinda jealous." he said, nervously put a hand on his neck.

Aiko let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding in.

"I know you are going to go to Junior Worlds and kill it. I can't wait to see." he said nervously.

"T-Thank you. I am glad you think so highly of me." she said, pushing more hair behind her ear.

They walked together in silence until the group got to the restaurant. They sat down at a large table in the corner. It was quiet for a moment. No one knew what to say. The ordered a round of drinks, sipping quietly.

"You invite us here but sit quietly," Chio said.

"You guys can't stop talking any other time. Now you get nervous in front of a couple girls?" Kotori said coldly, not looking up from her phone.

The boys gulp in unison, hanging their heads a bit.

"We didn't think this through!" Hideki said, his cheeks flushing. "Its was Daichi's idea in the first place."

"Hey! Don't blame me! I didn't even think they were actually going to come." Daichi defended.

"Well, we are here now. Why not make the most of it?" Chio said, smiling softly at the boys. Daichi blushed and looked away. Hideki quietly nudged him as if to tell him to play it cool.

Their drinks came quicker than they thought.

"Ahh, a milkshake! I haven't had one in so long." Aiko mused, sipping the thick liquid again.

"Why is that?" Hideki asked, sipping his soda.

"I have an enormous sweet tooth. When I was like 7 or 8, I refused to eat anything that wasn't sweet. I used to sneak snacks into my room so when I left dinner, I would eat the snacks. I started getting really sick all time and it affecting my skating. So I was banned from having sweets unless I got permission. It's been like that ever since." She explained, drinking the sweet mixture down. "I had no self-control back then. But now I do so I treat myself every so often."

"Wow. You don't seem like the type who would lose control Katsuki-san." Daichi said.

She shrugged. "I was different back then. I was an only child and a spoiled one at that. So I got what I wanted most of the time. Thus I never had a reason to control myself."

"You're an only child?" Hideki asked.

She shook her head. "Not anymore."

"She has a 2-year-old brother. Toshiro right?" Hikaru asked

Aiko nodded.

"My little brother is friends with him." Hikaru said, picking up his drink to take a sip. "He's a sweet boy."

"When he wants to be." she snapped back, sucking the last bit of milkshake up.

"That's quite the age gap." Daichi said.

Aiko shrugged. "I'm not complaining. I had a long time to myself."

"That is true. I have an older sister and a younger sister. We are all kinda close in age, though." Hideki said.

"Only child here." Daichi rang. "I don't mind it though. I don't have to share anything. I get the entire bag of chips to myself."

Everyone let out a hearty laugh. They continued to talk for a while longer before heading over to the karaoke place. They quickly got to their room and order snacks.

"What are you going to sing Hikaru-kun?" Daichi asked as he searched through the songs.

"I'm not sure." He said.

"Katsuki-san should sing something in English. I bet she would sound awesome!" Hideki said with crazy enthusiasm.

Aiko gave him a pained look, sighing deeply. "What is up with you guys being so excited about me speaking English?" she grumbled.

"A-Chan~!" Chio rang, grabbing her arm and pulling her close. "You should sing History Maker! I know you like it. And it's in English!"

Aiko shrugged away from Chio. "There's no way I could sing in front of you guys!" She said.

"Aww come on! We are all friends here! We are all going to be at least a little bad." Chip said, grabbing her arm tighter. "Come on Aiko-Chan!"

"Yeah Aiko-Chan. I want to hear you sing in English." Kotori said, getting closer to her as well.

"Come on Katsuki-San! Go! Go! Katsuki-San! Go! Go! Katsuki-San" Daichi and Hideki chanted.

The entire room filled with chants for Aiko to sing. She sighed deeply and stood up.

"Okay okay! I'll do it. Just stop chanting please." she said, standing up. The crew quickly put the song on. Chio shoved the microphone in her hand and sat back down. The familiar tune started up. She closed her eyes and started to sing.

She knew every word. She didn't even need the lyrics up there at this point. She started to get more comfortable as the song went on; swaying a bit and getting louder.

She started to dance now, fully immersing herself in the song. The others were loving it, cheering her on at every note. She had a knack for singing since she was young. She wasn't the next big thing but she could hit notes that mattered. She didn't sing often though, leaving many people in the dark about her hidden talent.

She turned around and faced her friends now. She didn't need to screen anyway. She sang toward them, smiling brightly as the song went on.

Her eyes were locked with Hikaru as she sang those last few words. You set my heart on fire. The young boy's eyes widened a bit, his breath hitching in his throat. Aiko smiled and continued to sing, finishing the song with a big smile on her face.

Everyone stood up, giving her a standing ovation. She blushed a little and giggled. "Guys!"

"I didn't know you could actually sing Aiko-Chan!" Chio said, nearly tackling the poor girl in a hug. "You should definitely sing move often!"

Aiko quickly shook her head. "I'm not that good. I mean I can hold a tune. That's about it."

"We beg to differ." Kotori said, moving her hair to her back.

"Enough about me! I think it's time for you guys to sing now." Aiko said, tossing the mic to Daichi. He stood up with pride and held his thumb up.

"My turn!" He exclaimed, holding his thumb up.

After a few hours worth of bad singing and laughing, the group left the building and started to head home.

"Wow! That was a lot of fun!" Chio said, practically jumping for joy.

"It was." Hikaru replied.

"We should do this again. Maybe go somewhere else?" Hideki brought up. The other nodded in agreement.

"So does this mean you ladies are going to hang out with us at school?" Daichi asked, poking his head over the girl's shoulders.

The girls giggled in response.

"We will think about it." Kotori said, still giggling.

Daichi sighed deeply and slumped back to where the boys were.

They made it to the corner store nearby the school. It was where they would split up to head home.

"Bye everyone! See you on Monday!" Daichi said, walking away from the group.

"Bye!" Hideki said, waving as he walked away.

"Bye Aiko-Chan! Bye Toyama-kun! See you later!" Chio said with a wink. She pulled Kotori with her, giving Toyama and Aiko some alone time.

Aiko waved goodbye and slightly bowed to Toyama. "I had a great time. I'll see you soon." She said with a soft smile. She waved and started to walk towards her house.

"Katsuki-San! Wait!" He said before she walked away. "Can I...walk you home?" He asked, sticking his hand in his hair nervously.

Aiko's ears felt hot. "Umm...sure…" she whispered. Hikaru smiled, causing Aiko to tremble a bit. Her heart started to beat faster.

They walked towards her house in silence. The both had blush covering their cheeks. They couldn't even look at each other. But the longer they walked in silence, the more awkward it got.

"Umm…" Hikaru mumbled, trying to break the silence. "You sang really good back there."

"T-thank you. I don't really sing in front of people so it was interesting." She said quietly, looking down on the ground.

"Your voice is beautiful. You should sing more often."

"I am not sure. I'll just stick to skating for now." She said, laughing a bit at the end.

"Whens your next competition?" He asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Not sure. Nationals are right around the corner so I'm not sure if I'm my coach would want me to do another competition with such a huge one coming up. Especially since I have to win to get a spot for Junior Worlds." She rambled. Hikaru kept her eyes on her. It was like she sparkled whenever she talked about skating lately. She is open and smiling every time. He could listen to her ramble about it for hours.

"Well, I know you will make it to Junior Worlds. You are too good for this crowd!" He announced.

"You are good too Toyama-kun! I saw your short program online. It's really good." She said, looking up at him with sparkling hazel eyes.

"Thank you. I have been working hard lately. My competition is pretty stiff." He mentioned. "I have to keep up otherwise I won't go anywhere with this." He said.

"I understand that. I want to prove to the world that I'm my own skater...That my papa being a skating legend and my dad being a Japanese skating treasure, don't affect me and my scores. I earn everything. Nothing is given to me. I want to prove that. I am not them. I am me. I will always be me." She said, her tone getting serious.

"And you will. I know it. You are an amazing skater. If anyone can kick Viktor Nikiforov's name down, it's you." He said, smiling gently.

They made it to Aiko's house shortly after. He took her to the front gate and smiled.

"Thanks for walking me home Toyama-kun." Aiko said, her cheeks getting hot.

"You're welcome. I wanted to make sure you got home safe and sound." He said, his cheeks flushing red.

Aiko's lips curled into a smile. "I had a great time. I hope we can do it again." She said. Hikaru nodded.

"Good night." She said, reaching to open the gate. Hikaru grabbed her wrist instinctively. Aiko turned around in confusion.

Hikaru pulled her towards him, looking down into her eyes. Her heart was beating out of her chest. He pushed a few curls behind her ear and stared into her big hazel eyes.

"Katsuki-san...I...I really like you." he said softly. Aiko blushed a bright red but before she could respond, he leaned down and pressed his lips firmly to hers.

His lips were soft. She imagined a boys lips to be hard and firm, But Hikaru's were the exact opposite. They were warm as well, enough to make her melt a little. She could smell the cologne he was wearing. It was something her Papa would wear for sure but she was sure he just put it on to impress her. His breath quietly brushed over her nose. Her knees shook the more thought about it.

Her heart continued to beat loudly, Hikaru's heart matching in rhythm. He pulled away slowly, his face red.

"Ah…" he started, covering his lips with his hand. He was worried he had been a little too aggressive. Aiko was still in awe, looking up at the boy. Her lips moved into a soft smile, causing him to melt a little. He grabbed her hand and gave her one last peck on the lips.

"See you Monday?" He asked, staying close to her face. She made a noise in agreement. He smiled brightly and let go of her hand.

"Good night Katsuki-San." He said with a humble smile on his face. He pet her head a little before walking away, towards his home. Aiko stood for a minute before opening the gate and heading inside.

"I'm ho-" she started before looking at her parents and uncle pressed up against the window. They all looked over and dispersed immediately.

"Were you watching me?" She asked the men, putting her bag on the table by the door.

Everyone turned away in embarrassment.

"We heard some voices. So we looked out the window and it happened to be you." Yuri said, nervously playing with the ends of his hair.

"Mmhhmmm." She said, crossing her arms across her chest. Yuuri went over and gave her a quick hug.

"So how was your first kiss?" He asked, putting his hand on her back.

"His lips were soft. I wasn't expecting that." She said, blushing a little.

The mention of the kiss made Viktor dramatically break down on the couch. He feigned sobbing into the arm of the couch.

"Yuuri! How are you okay with this? She shouldn't be kissing boys this early!" He yelled.

"Viktor. She is 13 years old. She is not a baby anymore." Yuuri said sternly.

"But...but...she's my baby...she has always been my baby girl. I still remember how sick I was when I was pregnant with her! How can I remember that and then go see her out kissing boys at night? It's not okay Yuuri!" He cried.

Yuuri chuckled and walked over to comfort his husband.

"Don't worry about your Papa. He will learn." Yuuri said, patting the crying man's head.

"I thought they were cute." Otabek said, shrugging a bit.

"What type of boy is he? I can't let my niece date some good for nothing asshole!" Yuri said, turning sharply to face Aiko.

"Uhh….he's got pretty good grades. He's not the class president or anything but he pretty popular. He doesn't get into trouble either." Aiko said nervously.

"Does he play sports?"

"He's a skater. We practice at the same rink." She pointed out. Yuri brows furrowed right away.

"A skater!? Does he even know who you are!? He has a hell of a way to go if he thinks he can impress us! Is he any good?"

"I think he is. He's in good standing here in Japan." She mentioned.

"He does know your entire family is full of skating legends right? He knows he is going to have a hard time impressing all of us? Your family is full of skaters way past his league." Yuri continued.

"He knows that. He is fully aware of my family situation. Please don't put him through the ringer. I'll never forgive you if you guys chase him away from me!" She said sternly.

Yuri scoffed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "We only want the best for our Kiki." He laughed.

She rolled her eyes and ducked out of his arm.

"If he breaks your heart, I will hurt him. Make sure you tell him that." Yuri spoke, shoving his hands in his hoodie pockets.

"He hasn't even asked me out. Calm down."

"What do mean he hasn't asked you out? So he just kissed you and left!?" Yuri said, his face getting red.

"Yurochka. Don't terrorize her. She's just a girl in love." Otabek added from the couch.

"Love is a strong word Otabek!" Viktor cried. "She can't love anyone besides us. Not yet anyway. She's too young!"

Aiko scoffed loudly and put her hands on her hips. "If you guys are done interrogating me, I would like to go bed. I have practice tomorrow." She spoke.

The adults in the room went silent. Aiko shot them a look before turning on her heel and leaving the room. Once in her room, She tossed her school bag on the floor and pulled her phone out her sweater pocket.

One unread text message.

She tapped a few times and the message came up.

 **[8:30 pm Hikaru Toyama: I really had a great time tonight. I would love to take you out again. Just the 2 of us this time.]**

A smile crossed her lips as she read the message.

 **[9:00 pm Aiko: I would love to. I have practice tomorrow. I know you have practice too. Maybe we can skate around a bit and go get ice cream afterward?]**

 **[9:01 pm Hikaru Toyama: Sounds perfect.]**

 **[9:02 pm Hikaru Toyama: I am sorry about the kiss. I know I was a bit forward. I'll be better next time.]**

Aiko blushed a bright red and tucked her face into her pillow.

 **[9:04 Aiko: I'll be waiting. :) See you tomorrow.]**

Aiko let out a tiny scream into her pillow, rolling around a little. She took a deep breath and touched her lips gently.

"He kissed me...he actually kissed me…" She whispered to herself. She quickly went on her phone and opened up the group chat with Chio and Kotori.

 **[Aiko: Guys! Toyama-kun kissed me!]**

 **[Chio-Chan: What!? Congrats! I knew you 2 would be cute together.]**

 **[Ko-Chan: About time!]**

 **[Aiko: We are going out again tomorrow.]**

 **[Chio-Chan: How cute! I'm so happy for you A-Chan!]**

 **[Ko-Chan: He better ask you out tomorrow. I refuse to let him kiss you and not be his girlfriend.]**

 **[Chio-Chan: Girlfriend has a nice ring to it, doesn't it!]**

Aiko stared down at her phone, grinning like an idiot.

Girlfriend **.**

Aiko let out another soft scream before collapsing in her pile of stuffed animals on her bed.


	8. Back in Time

((This chapter is a flashback to before and after Aiko was born))

"Yuuri! Can you come here please?"

"I'm coming. Give me a moment." The younger man said from the kitchen. He was cooking a rather large dinner; Katsudon. He pulled the fried pork cutlet from the oil and put it on a nearby paper towel. He set down his utensils and made his way into the living room.

"Yes?"

"Help me up please. I have to use the restroom." Viktor said, his hand resting on his large rounded stomach.

He was 8 months pregnant and more than ready to have this baby. He was positively miserable most of the time. His body was not handling the whole "another human inside me" thing very well. He always needed help even when doing the smallest things, like going to the restroom or getting a back pain and foot swelling made it worse. Even though he was an athlete for most of his life, he wasn't used to pain like this. He would rather break an ankle on a bad jump than deal with being pregnant any longer than he had to. He hoped and prayed it would all be worth it once their little girl was in this world.

Yuuri carefully helped him up, resting his hand on the small of his back as he got up. Viktor let out a massive groan as his hand found a way to the center his stomach. He waddled away to the back of the house, quietly cursing the entire way. Yuuri sighed deeply and went back to the kitchen.

He always made sure to make him as comfortable as he could be. He hated seeing him like this but there wasn't much he could do anymore. He could only cook and massage his way out of so much. It was all the waiting game now.

Yuuri put the last touches in dinner by the time Viktor came back into the room. He quickly made the man a bowl and brought it to him in the living room.

"Here you go. Nice and hot." He said, handing this husband the bowl of Katsudon. Viktor gave a weak smile and set the bowl on his belly.

"Thank you Yuuri. It smells delicious." He said grabbing his chopsticks from Yuuri's hand. He could feel his mouth water right away. Viktor felt the baby shift, causing him to close his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Yuuri put his hand on the bottom of his large belly.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. The baby just shifted a little on a bad spot. It's fine."

Viktor took a large bite of his dinner. "Delicious as always dorogoy. "

Yuuri smiled softly and laid a gentle kiss on his husband's lips. "I'm glad you like it. I know you haven't been feeling well so I wanted to make you something good." He explained.

"I appreciate it. I just can't wait until this is over. Ahhhh." He groaned, taking another bite. He shifted in the couch a bit, trying to find a spot on the couch that didn't put more pressure on his already aching back.

"You are almost done. Soon our little girl will be in our arms." Yuuri said, rubbing the center of his belly. He leaned down and pressed a kiss right in the center of his rounded stomach

"Needs to be sooner." Viktor complained. He finished about half the bowl before setting it down next to him and taking a deep breath.

"This girl is going to be the death of me." Viktor said and he rubbed his belly to soothe the squirming child inside of him. "She is doing backflips in there or something."

He felt a wave of pain rush over him, causing him to wince. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself. Yuuri quickly grabbed the Russian's hand and ran a hand through his hair.

"Breathe. Just breathe." Yuuri said in a calming voice. "Squeeze my hand if you need to."

Viktor squeezed the man's hand tightly, taking a few more deep breaths. He mumbled something in Russian under his breath as his hand found its way to the bottom of his belly. "If these things hurt this bad now, I have no idea how I'm going to make it through the real thing." He said through his teeth.

Yuuri sighed deeply. He gently turned the other man and started to rub his shoulders. "I'll be there every step of the way." He said softly, kissing the back of his neck.

"You better be." He grumbled, relaxing into the massage. Yuuri let out a breathy chuckle.

\- One Month Later-

The sound of crying echoed through the entire house. Viktor walked into the living room, holding a crying silver haired infant. He rocked her gently in his arms, his hand gently holding her head. "Shhh Aiko. It's okay. It's okay." He said softly. The infant still cried though, even louder now.

Yuuri came from the kitchen holding a bottle in his hands. "I'm sorry it took so long. It was too hot at first and I had to make sure it cooled down." He said, handing his husband the bottle of formula. Viktor gave a sigh of relief as he held the bottle up so the infant could eat. She latched on right away, the cries now muffled.

Both men looked like they got hit by a train. They were disheveled. Having a newborn was proving to be the hardest thing they had ever had to do.

Yuuri plopped on the couch, slumping right away. He closed his eyes for just a moment.

"Yuuri!"

"I just need a moment. I'm just resting my eyes."

"You said you would burp her after I fed her so I could get some rest."

"I know. I'm just resting my eyes for a second." He groaned, putting his forearm over his eyes. Viktor rolled his eyes and sat down in the loveseat nearby, still feeding the baby girl. He looked down at her as she ate.

She had dark silver hair with little streaks of lighter silver all around her head. It wasn't a lot of hair, just enough to cover the top of her head like a little mop. She had Yuuri's hazel eyes and olive skin. Her other features reflected both of them, a perfect mix of the two. Watching his daughter eat was the sweetest thing. Yes, she was a lot of work to take care of but seeing her like this made every second worth it. Everything they were going through was worth it to see this little girl happy.

Aiko polished off the bottle quickly, settling into her papa's arms, full and content.

"Yuuri, she's done." He said, setting the empty bottle off the side. Yuuri stirred and pulled himself off the couch. He walked over to a small bag on the floor and pulled out a small blanket and laid it on his shoulder. Viktor stood up and met Yuuri halfway. Yuuri carefully lifted the girl from his arms and set her on his shoulder. He started to gently pat the infant's back, bouncing lightly as he did.

Viktor smiled and pulled out his phone, snapping a quick picture of the 2. "Adorable! Daddy and daughter!" He said cheerfully. He posted the picture to Instagram.

"Really Viktor? I look like a mess." Yuuri whined.

"You look like a new dad. Which I love dearly." He said, kissing his husband's cheek. Yuuri smiled and met his lips.

Aiko squirmed a bit in Yuuri's arms before letting out a tiny baby burp. "Good job princess!" Yuuri cheered, kissing the infant's head.

Aiko cooed loudly and used her little fingers to grip onto her dad's shirt. Yuuri pressed another kiss into the girl's head. "Someone is a full and happy baby." He cooed, bouncing up and down. Aiko babbled a bit, trying to lift her head off of his shoulder.

"Oh? You want to see papa huh?" He said softly, turning around so she could see Viktor over his shoulder. Viktor waved at the baby, making kissing faces at the infant. Aiko gripped harder into Yuuri's shirt, jerking up a bit. Yuuri lifted her off his shoulder and handed her over to Viktor.

The Russian took her with open arms. " Moya milaya devochka ." he cooed, peppering her cheeks with kisses.

Viktor laid the baby down on her playmat on the floor. He laid down next to her, tickling her over her belly and kissing her face. She babbled and cooed in happiness, moving around happily.

Yuuri smiled and pulled out his phone, taking pictures and videos of the pair. It warmed his heart to see him so happy. He had a rough pregnancy so finally seeing him with a smile on his face was a relief.

"Papa and daughter. Adorable." Yuuri said in a mocking tone.

"We make such cute babies Yuuri!" Viktor gushed.

"Don't tell me you already want another." Yuuri urged.

"Oh no. Oh no no no no no. Not for a long while." He grimaced. "Not that I regret Aiko at all. But I never want to go through that again."

"One and done. Good enough for me." Yuuri said, sitting down on the other side of the playmat. He gently played with the baby's feet for a moment. But that seemed to be putting her to sleep.

Aiko opened her mouth for a yawn and curled her hands next to her face. She closed her eyes and her breathing settled.

"I think she's taking a nap." Yuuri said, laying down now.

"That bottle hit her hard." Viktor laughed, yawning himself. "I think we should take naps too." He suggested. Yuuri was already ahead of him, his glasses thrown off and his eyes closed. His gentle snores filled the room. Viktor smiled softly and looked at the sweet display in front of him.

It was crazy to him to see how much his life had changed. Never would he have imagined something like this but here it was, in the flesh. It warmed his heart. He gently kissed both sleeping heads before laying down next to the sleeping infant. He closed his eyes and lulled himself into sweet dreams of his wonderful new family.


	9. Homage

Aiko took a deep breath and looked out over the ice. The entire rink was packed to the ceiling. There were flags from every country hung with care and screaming fans to go with it. She wasn't used to this at all. She couldn't even see her family from where she was. She hoped could catch a glimpse of them before she went out; maybe it would calm her down a bit.

She had her music blasting in her headphones, loud enough so she could drown out the noises around her. She didn't want anyone to distract from her warm up. She started to shake out her limbs, trying to ease the tension that was building her body. Her coach stood close by, watching over her carefully. She knew that when Aiko was focused, she didn't want to be bothered too much.

The pressure in her chest started to build when she saw the other skaters gather around. She bit her lip and took a few deep breaths to steady herself. She couldn't let anything distract her. Everyone was watching. Her family, her friends, and the entire town of Hatsetu. She couldn't let them down.

"Skaters, take the ice for your 6 minute warm up." the announcer rang out. Aiko plucked the headphones from her ears and pulled her phone from her pocket. She handed both to her coach.

"Relax Aiko. You look like you are going to pass out." her coach, Yuna, said.

"At this rate, I might." Aiko mumbled, wiping the nervous sweat from her face before it messed up her makeup.

"You will do amazing. It's just the warm up. Take it easy and don't push yourself."

"Thanks, coach." Aiko said with a soft smile before handing her the guards to her skates. She skated onto the ice, quickly picking a corner to work on. The entire rink erupted in cheers; so loud it felt like it rattled her heart in her chest.

As she practiced a little of her choreography, she looked around the rink for her parents. Her eyes darted around to every corner, almost frantically looking.

"She is freaking out because she can't see us." Yuuri said, his eyes glued to the ice. He was standing up, holding Toshiro on his hip. Viktor waved his hand up high, trying to get her attention.

" Milaya ! Milaya up here!" Viktor yelled towards the ice.

"Viktor, she probably can't even hear you. There are hundreds of people screaming in here. Just wave, she might be able to catch that faster." he said.

The warm-up ended up going much faster than she wanted it to be. It was almost a blur at this point. Everything was a blur. She came off the ice to Yuna holding her guards and a bottle of water.

"You need to relax Aiko." she said simply, handing the girl both.

"I am trying okay!" she snapped at her. Aiko slid on her guards and grabbed the water, nearly chugging the entire bottle.

Yuna rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "You are thinking too much. It's going to cause you to make more mistakes."

Aiko scoffed and walked away from the ice. "If I don't think enough, I will mess up. This isn't just some run of the mill competition. I can't just skate like I normally do. It won't be enough" she said, not bothering to look at the coach's face.

Yuna reached over and put her hand Aiko's shoulder. He turned her around and looked her right into her eyes. "Aiko. I understand you have a lot of pressure on you right now. You have a lot to prove but you need to understand that it's okay to mess up. This most certainly won't be the last time to make it Junior Worlds. You still have so many other huge competitions like this ahead of you. This isn't the end all be all. You are young. You are talented. Even if you end up last place, you still made it here and that's all that matters. You won't disappoint anyone if you don't place. You won't disappoint anyone even if you mess up your entire program. I am so incredibly proud of you Aiko. I know your family is too. Don't forget that. So please, don't put this much pressure on yourself to win. It's scary seeing you all pent up like this." Her coach explained, pulling her into a hug. Aiko held Yuna tightly, letting loose a few tears as well.

Yuna pulled away and gave her a huge smile. "Don't smudge your eyeliner. I didn't bring the spare." she joked. Aiko laughed and patted away the tears from under her eyes. Yuna put her arm around the girl and watched some of the other girl's performance.

Aiko was at the edge of the wall, clad in her pale blue costume. She shook out her limbs once more and cracked her neck a bit. Yuna reached over and gave her a huge hug, whispering a few words of encouragement into her ear.

"Next on the ice we have Aiko Katsuki-Nikiforova of Japan!" the announcer said. Aiko took a deep breath and skated out, greeting the screaming crowd with waves.

Viktor could feel the tears well up behind his eyes as all 3 of them cheered loudly. He grabbed Yuuri's free hand, squeezing tightly.

Aiko took center ice and got into her opening position. The rink went silent. She took a deep breath and looked over at the judges, a smile on her face. Soon the familiar music started, sending her off to start the program.

She had done this program so much at this point, she could do it in her sleep. But something about today felt different. She couldn't tell if it was because of the enormous amount of pressure she was feeling or the fact the entire town was watching her skate. Whatever it was, it made her think.

She prepared for her first jump, a triple loop. She closed her eyes and launched herself into the air. She landed and quietly cursed in her head. She under-rotated. She couldn't let the frustration show. It was just the beginning of the program.

She managed to shake it off, performing as graceful as she always did. She had been in the ballet studio with Minako almost every day leading up this competition and it showed. Each move flowed beautifully to the next. It was like she wasn't skating.

She started her combination spin, starting out with a camel spin that slowly changed into a layback, her arms gracefully hovering above her. As she continued in the layback spin, she grabbed her skate and lifted her leg up to her knee almost hitting the back of her head, ending in a Bielmann spin. The crowd cheered loudly, encouraging her for her next element, a double axel.

She dug her toe pick into the ice and threw herself up, landing shakily on her skate. She stayed on her feet, though. She sighed and continued onto her step sequence.

It was much of blur. She was going through the motions at this point, letting the slightly flawed jumps swirl through her mind over and over again. She kept the smile on her face, though. She didn't want the people watching to know what she was thinking at the time.

By this time, she was begging for the program to be over. She didn't want to smile anymore. She didn't want to mess up anymore. She didn't want to anyone to see her like this. But she had to fight through it. She put the smile back on her face and continued on.

Her last jump was a triple toe loop. She knew she wasn't going to be able to land it cleanly. So rather than risk trying to do it, she changed it to a single. She could practically feel the audience's disappointment.

It was finally over. She was in her final pose, breathing heavily. She closed her eyes and carefully relaxed her body. The audience was still cheering and the Japanese flags covered the rink. The ice behind her was covered in a fair amount of flowers and plush animals. She turned and greeted the audience, a weak smile playing on her lips. At least they thought it was good. She greeted the other side as well before dropping the smile and skating off the ice.

Yuna handed her the guards, not bothering to lecture her now. It would only make her feel worse. Aiko put on her guards and grabbed her bottle of water from Yuna's arms, taking a few sips before heading over to the kiss and cry.

She was stoic. She didn't really make much of a face. She did show a few a weak smiles when the camera was shoved in her face. She took another sip of her water. Yuna wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pulling her close.

"I'm still proud of you." she said quietly. Aiko simply nodded. Yuna sighed deeply and looked down at the tiny screen in front of them to see her score.

"The short program score for Aiko Katsuki-Nikiforova is 51.45. She is currently in 5th place."

Aiko rolled her neck a bit, standing up shortly after. She did a little wave at the camera before shrugging on her jacket and heading back to the locker room in silence.

"Don't say anything when she gets over here. I don't want her to be more upset." Yuuri said quietly to Viktor as they waited for their eldest to meet them.

"I'm not. She has too much pressure on her already. She might crack." Viktor said, pushing his bangs out of his face.

"I really hope nobody called her yet." Yuuri said to himself, holding Toshio's hand tightly as he tried to chase a cat he saw run by.

Aiko came up to the 2 men, her face just as stoic as it was on the ice. They both smiled and gave her a hug and kiss.

"We are so proud of you! You looked beautiful out there sweetie." Viktor said, squeezing her tightly.

"You don't have to tiptoe around it Papa. I know what I did wrong. I will just have to fix it in my free program tomorrow." she said, sighing softly.

"Aiko. Everyone has an off day. Your jumps were just a little shaky but you stayed on your feet. Everything else was spot on." Viktor said, reaching into her bun and pulling out the various bobby pins. "You made a wise decision to change your last jump. You are skating smart now. You truly are getting more mature." he rambled on, pulling the bun holder out of her head. "You will do amazing tomorrow. I know you will. Regardless of what happens or what you place, we still will feel the exact same way." he said, finally pulling out the hair tie that was constricting her hair. The silver locks dropped down her back and Aiko let out a sigh of relief. "Now. Relax. Loosen up and enjoy this time. You don't want to sour the memories of your first World Championship." Viktor said with a smile, handing her the bobby pins and her hair tie.

Aiko's lips curled up into a soft smile. She wrapped her arms around her Papa and buried her face into his jacket. "Thank you Papa. I love you." she muttered. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Love you too, milaya . Now let's go back to the room and lay down. I am exhausted." he said.

"Umm...about that…" Aiko said, averting her eyes. "I am going to stay with coach Yuna tonight." she admitted.

"Oh...Okay...I guess." Viktor murmured. Yuuri picked up a squirming Toshiro and slung him to his hip tightly.

"Will you be back in the morning?" Yuuri asked as Toshio thrashed in his arms.

"No. I am going to be getting ready with her too. I will meet you guys at the rink." she explained, shifting on her feet a bit

"But...How are you going to do your hair? I know you can't get it in a bun like it needs to be. What about your costume? I know that one is really hard for you to put on." Yuuri said, starting to panic a bit.

"Daddy. I am 13 years old. I am sure I can figure out how to do my hair. And Coach can help me put on the costume. She is the one who designed it by the way." she said, putting her hands on her hip. Yuuri heart broke right away. All those times he scolded Viktor for treating her like a child came back in his face. She really was grown up.

"Okay…." he said sadly, giving Toshiro the opportunity to wiggle out of Yuuri's parental grasp. Viktor was there to pick the eager child, holding him tightly against his hip as well. Yuna came walking up to the family. She gave a small bow.

"I am assuming she told you she is going to be with me?"

Yuuri nodded.

"She is in good hands. I promise you." she said with a smile.

"We know. Yuuri is just a little upset. He has been helping her get ready for her competitions since she started so not helping her this time is breaking his heart." Viktor explained, grabbing his hand with his free hand.

Yuuri blushed a bright red and turned his head. "N-not true!"

The group laughed for a moment. Aiko slung her skating bag over her shoulder and looked up at Yuuri. She gave him a big hug.

"I will be fine." she said. Yuuri nodded and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Have fun." Viktor and Yuuri said in unison, a little sadness visible in their tones.

-The Next Day-

"What if her costume isn't on properly? What if her bun comes out in the middle of her program?" Yuuri said nervously. Viktor chuckles a bit.

"Yuuri relax. She does her own hair every day for school. She will be fine." He said, rubbing his shoulder. "And you talk about me babying her."

Yuuri cut his eyes.

Viktor laughed loudly before pulling Toshiro in his lap. Toshiro bounced impatiently, almost falling off his Papa's lap.

"Where sissy?" He asked, huffing loudly.

"She is going to be on the ice soon. Relax." Viktor said, patting the toddler's head. He crossed his arms across his chest in frustration.

"Sissy need to hurry." He grumbled.

The rink was full to the rafters. They got there earlier than yesterday so they could get a closer seat to the ice. They spot Aiko from across the ice talked to another skater. Viktor stood up and waved to the other side.

"Aiko! Davai !" He yelled. Aiko turned around and smiled. She gave a little wave before turning back to the other girl.

"Look at her Yuuri. Socializing with the other girls and making friends!" He said, grabbing his husband's arm.

"It's weird for her to still have her warm ups still on this late. She normally takes it off by now." Yuuri said quietly.

"Maybe she's still cold. Or she doesn't want her costume to get messy. Looks likes she's drinking a colored sports drink." He suggested with a shrug.

Yuuri let a sigh.

"Relax Yuuri. She will be okay." Viktor said softly, kissing his cheek. Yuuri nodded and sat back in his seat. Toshiro continued to squirm around, waiting impatiently to see his sister skate.

"Kiki skate yeeetttt?" He whined loudly.

"Not yet. Rasslablyat'sya Viktorovich. You need to have some patience." He said, running his fingers through the boy's messy hair.

The rink erupted in cheers as the girls took the ice for their warm-ups. Aiko looked focused, like always, as she took a few leisurely laps around the ice. Yuuri eyes were focused on Aiko, looking her over.

"That's not her jacket. It's way too big. Look, she's swimming in it Viktor." Yuuri pointed out.

Viktor looked up, noticing the slack from the girl's warm-up jacket. He shrugged. "Is that really a problem? Maybe her other one didn't have enough movement in the arms. She's fine." Viktor said, grabbing Yuuri's hand and lacing their fingers together. "Like you always say, she's a young woman. She can do this on her own."

Yuuri looked back at his daughter before nodding slowly. "You're right. I'm just a little worried is all."

"A little?" Viktor questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Yuuri cheek flushed a light pink. Viktor chuckled in response, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Both eyes returned back to Aiko as she continued her warm up.

"Look at her ponytail Yuuri. Doesn't it remind you of my hair when I was junior?"

"It does. She really is your daughter. No denying that."

"Like I would ever deny her. That's my baby girl!" He said happily, sitting forward in his seat.

The warm-up ended and the girls swiftly exited the ice. Aiko was 4th in the lineup, a reasonable spot to be in at this time. She was currently sitting in 5th place. A flawless free skate could put her on the podium so she started to focus her energy on her program. She was off to the side, continuing to stretch and keep her body warm.

Viktor and Yuuri watched the other girls skate with baited breath. They were good. Really good. Every single girl brought their best out, skating with minimal mistakes. They all had their eyes on the podium at this point and the men were sure the pressure was affecting Aiko.

Toshiro squirmed in Viktor's arm, waking up from his brief nap. He rubbed his eye and looked up at his Papa. "Sissy turn?" He asked sleepily.

"Almost. She's up next." He said quietly, his eyes still on the girl skating. The toddler curled back up into Viktor chest, yawning loudly.

The current skater's program ended with a bang. It was probably the best performance he had seen in the competition so far. She was nearly flawless, only making small mistakes in her step sequence and a jump or 2. It was easily the highest score in the competition. Viktor sighed deeply, running his hands through his hair.

He never doubted Aiko's ability to skate well. He knew she was wonderful but the girls she was up against were just as good and even better than her in certain aspects. He knew she was going to start comparing herself to the others, even though some were much older than her. She wasn't going to look into the future, she was going to look at the present. And at this moment, she was weaker than the others.

His thought process was interrupted by the cheers for the last skater's score. He looked over and saw Aiko talking to her coach. She looked nervous, rolling her neck and shaking her hands around as Yuna talked. The girl unzipped her jacket and shrugged it off, revealing a costume the two men had never seen.

The entire costume was a deep navy blue. The sleeves were long and made with a glittery material. The back of the outfit had a sheer black panel that reached around the sides as well, showing just a peek of her olive skin. There was an embroidered intricate maroon design across the back and blue embroidered details on the sides. The was a pop of the same maroon from the back underneath the skirt, only peeking out when she moved.

Yuuri's grew wide as she took the ice and got a full view of the costume.

"V-Viktor! That's-...It can't be..." he started.

"That looks just like your old costume!" He finished, sitting up in his seat to look closer.

"Up next is Aiko Katsuki-Nikiforova of Japan." The announcer said as she skated out on the ice.

Both Viktor and Yuuri were on the edge of their seats.

"She can't be…" Yuuri choked out.

"She will be skating to Yuri on ICE, an original composition originally made for former skater Yuuri Katsuki." The announcer rang.

Tears started flowing down Yuuri's cheeks already. Viktor was shocked, his hand covering his lips with wet eyes. They were speechless. Toshiro cheered loudly, his little hands in the air.

She got into her starting position, something similar to Yuuri's old one. Aiko took a deep breath. Both men took the same breath with her.

She had been keeping this program in secret for months now. She told Yuna she wanted to a program to thank her parents and show them how much they had taught her over the years; that her getting here would have never happened without them. They watched both Yuuri's and Viktor's old programs from their skating careers, trying to see if it sparked something in her. After watching Yuuri's performance at the Grand Prix Finals, she decided on Yuri on ICE. Of course, she couldn't match the technical aspects of the program but she would take elements from it and incorporate into hers. She would make it her own, unique to her style but still pay homage to her parents. She was going to give her her all, no matter what.

The music filled the rink, signaling the start of her program. She started out with something similar to Yuuri's but more feminine and graceful.

She opened the program with a combination jump; a triple lutz, double toe loop. She landed both cleanly, moving on in the performance.

Her mind went blank after that. She put all her emotions into her skating that she couldn't think of anything else. She couldn't even remember if she landed a jump after just doing. She didn't let t bother her, it only let her put everything into this performance

Yuuri could hardly blink, not wanting to miss a moment. Of course, it wasn't a copy of his own program. It was something more. Something unique to Aiko and the way she skated. But he saw himself in her. He saw her drive, the same was he saw his at the Grand Prix Final that year. He couldn't help but get emotional.

Here was his daughter. One of his pride and joy doing a routine of his. And not just any routine, one that clearly showed his feelings towards skating, how he felt towards his then new coach. He could feel the same love that radiated from him, coming from her as she skated. It only made him cry harder, the more he thought about it.

Viktor was holding Yuuri's hand, crying himself. Not nearly as much as he was.

Aiko ended her routine same as Yuuri; Her hand placed on across her chest, the other hand outstretched toward the audience. Her ragged breaths were causing her body to shake. She dropped her arms and bent over at the hip. She was trying to catch her breath, closing her eyes and looked down at the ice.

Yuuri and Viktor were both crying; Yuuri more than Viktor at this point. They were standing up and cheering their hearts out. Toshiro was slung on Viktor's hips, clapping happily for his sister. Their phones were ringing uncontrollably at this point. Aiko finally stood up and greeted the crowd, a huge grin on her face. She looked right at her parents and blew them a kiss before skating off the ice to the kiss and cry.

"She was beautiful Viktor!" Yuuri cried, wiping his eyes a bit. "I can't believe she did this. I am so proud of her."

"We all are. She gave it her all." Viktor said, pulling Toshiro close. "I can't wait until we can see her. I would rush the ice if I could." He said with a smile. He leaned over and gave Yuuri a quick kiss on the lips. "That's our little girl. Officially all grown up." He said.

Aiko ended up placing 4th place overall. Even though she had a pretty solid free skate, it wasn't enough to push her to the podium.

She was definitely upset, holding back tears as the places were announced. But Yuna held her hand tightly the entire time, giving her the support she craved at the moment. She congratulated the other girls, giving them hugs and kind words. It was the least she could do. They were great skaters and deserved what they got. She would just have to work on her skills for the next season so she could stand on the podium with pride.

She slipped off her skates and tossed them into her bag, slipping on her sneakers right after. She put on her jacket over her costume as the sweat from previously was starting to chill. She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen, showing notifications the many missed phone calls, text messages, and social media comments. She saw over 15 voicemails were left, the first one being her Uncle Yurio. She tapped the play icon and put it up to her ear. As soon as it started, she pulled it from her ear in the fear it would blow her eardrum out.

"HOW DARE YOU DO A PROGRAM LIKE THAT WHERE NO ONE COULD SEE IT IN PERSON? CALL ME BACK AIKO. I HAVE SOME WORDS FOR YOU."

Aiko's giggled softly before listening to the next one. It was from her grandparents.

"My goodness Aiko! You brought the entire resort to tears with your performance. You did wonderfully. We are so proud of you. We can't wait to celebrate when you get home..."

The next one from Yuuko.

"I know you probably are still on the rink and you don't have your phone but I couldn't wait to tell you how amazing that was! The rink was filled up to watch you skate. All the kids were cheering so loud for you. I know Yuuri and Viktor are probably crying their eyes out. I know I was….you looked just like him Aiko. You really made us proud..."

Each voicemail was something similar from all her family and friends. It brought her to tears hearing everyone say how proud they were of her. Even though she didn't win or even place on the podium, they made her feel like she won gold. She started crying after the last voicemail from her Uncle Chris was played. She put the phone next to her on the bench and cried into her hands.

As Aiko was changing, Yuna grabbed her parents and Toshiro from the crowd and brought her over to where she was sitting. She figured that seeing her parents would cheer her up a bit. They stood a few feet from her as they watched her cry for a moment. Toshiro managed to escape from Viktor's grasp first, running over to her to comfort her. He climbed up on the bench and wrapped his arms around her.

"No cry Kiki." he said. Aiko looked up and saw Toshiro hugging her. She smiled through her tears and pulled her brother into her lap, hugging him tightly.

"It's okay Toshiro. These are happy tears." she choked out, not letting the boy go yet. She saw Yuuri and Viktor head over to her, tears in their eyes. She took a shaky breath, trying to stop the tears but seeing her parents like that was more than what she could take. They both wrapped her arms around her, making one big, crying group hug. Yuuri and Viktor were crying the hardest, holding her tightly.

"Thank you Papa and Daddy. Thank you for everything. I love you so much." she said through her tears. Viktor pet her hair and nodded. Yuuri looked up and peppered her cheek in kisses.

"We love you too sweetheart. We love you so much." Yuuri managed through her tears.

They hugged for a few more moments before letting go. Everyone was wiping the tears away with smiles on her face.

"That was quite the surprise." Yuuri said, sniffling.

"That was the point. I have been working on it for months. It was really hard to keep something like this secret but I wanted to see your reactions. I knew you two would appreciate it." Aiko explained, pushing the stray pieces of her hair behind her ear.

"We loved it!" they yelled in unison.

"I wanted this to be a thank you. You guys gave me all the foundations to succeed as a skater. Without you guys coaching me and being as hard as you were on me, I wouldn't be here today. I wanted to thank you for everything you did and sacrificed for me to get here. What better way to thank you than to pay homage to you two." she said with a soft smile.

The men were brought to tears once more, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you for being such a great student...and an even better daughter." Viktor said quietly.

"We are so incredibly proud of you Aiko. We couldn't be prouder to call you our daughter. We know you are upset about not placing but it's okay. You have so many years ahead of you." Yuuri said.

"I was upset...I wanted to cry the entire medal ceremony. It took all I had not to break down in front of all my competitors. But I picked up my phone as I was changing and listened to all the voicemails I got. Even though I didn't win, everyone treated me like I did. They didn't care if I had a medal or not. They were proud I was here and representing them. I couldn't be upset after that. Instead, I got proud; Proud to go out there and represent my hometown, my rink, my family and friends, and my coach. Long story short, I am not upset anymore. I am proud and I can't wait to get home and train for next season." Aiko said with a big grin.

Both men smiled softly and nodded. Toshiro yawned loudly from the bench, rubbing his sleepy eyes. Aiko swiftly picked him up, letting him lay on her shoulder.

"Let's go home. Everyone is waiting." she said with a smile. Yuuri and Viktor nodded, grabbing her stuff and headed out the front doors of the rink.


	10. But I'm a Big Boy Now

(A/N: Over 3 years have passed since the last chapter. Toshiro is now 5 going on 6 and Aiko is 16 going on 17.)

An ear-piercing scream rattled the entire house, scaring Bebe who was sleeping in the living room.

"NOO! I'm a big boy now! Big boy's don't need their hair brushed!"

"Toshiro! Stop it! You can't go out with your hair looking like this. Big boys have nice and neat hair." Yuuri yelled, holding the boy down with one arm and the brush in the other.

"It hurts when you brush it Daddy!" Toshiro yelled.

"That's because you let it get all tangled up. If you would let me brush it more often, it wouldn't be such a problem." Yuuri said, taking the brush from the ends of his hair first. He shivered and winced even though Yuuri was being as gentle as he could.

"It hurts!" he cried.

Toshiro squirmed violently until he was able to break free from Yuuri's grasp. Yuuri just sighed deeply and tossed the brush to the side.

"Fine. If you don't want me to brush your hair, I'll just have to cut it all off. You can't have long hair if you don't want to take care of it. You say you are a big boy now but big boys take care of their hair so they don't have to go through all this." Yuuri said, crossing his arms across his chest. The boy puffed out his cheeks in anger and plopped down in front of Yuuri again.

"That's what I thought." he said, picking up the brush again and starting from the bottom, working his way up. Each brush stroke made the boy wince and whine. By the time he finished brushing his entire head, he was in tears. He put the top part back in a ponytail and let the rest hang underneath.

"All finished." he said, patting the young boy's shoulder. "Now, go get dressed. We are going to leave soon."

Toshiro huffed and walked away back towards his room. Viktor came in shortly after, dressed and ready to go.

"I heard him screaming. I assumed you were trying to brush his hair." Viktor said, fixing his shirt in the mirror nearby.

"Yup. It was horrible this time Viktor. I swear I pulled out some twigs and leaves in there." he said, sitting up in the chair.

"He's a 5-year-old with hair down his back. Of course he is going to have things stuck in there."

"Well since you know so much, why don't you try to brush his hair next time." Yuuri said in a huff.

"We all know how that ended last time. I prefer not to have to another foot in my chest."

Yuuri rolled his eyes and walked to the back of the house to finish getting ready. They were all going to the rink today since Aiko and some of the other older skaters were holding a beginners class for the little ones. They figured why not get Toshiro on the ice now since he was around the same age they put Aiko on the ice. Plus, Yuri and Otabek bought him a pair of skates last time they visited and Yuri was constantly asking if he had used them yet.

Yuuri finished getting ready and peaked his head inside Toshiro's door. He was trying to pull his long sleeve over his head but managing to miss the head hole each time. Yuuri chuckled and walked in to aid the boy.

"Let me help you, sweetie." Yuuri said, reaching out and fixing the hole right over his head and pulling the shirt down. Toshiro took a deep breath as soon as his head popped out. All Yuuri's hard work on the boy's hair had gone to waste though.

"Thank you Daddy..." he said, pouting a bit. Yuuri held his hand out and the boy reluctantly grabbed it, letting Yuuri lead him to the front door. Viktor had both his and Yuuri's skating bag as well as a little tiger print bag (obviously bought by his uncle Yurio as well) that held Toshiro's skates.

"Are we going to skate?" Toshiro asked, noticing the bags on Viktor's arms.

"Yeah. I told you last night that Kiki is holding a class at the Ice Castle so we were going to take you so you can use those new skates Uncle Yurio got you." Viktor explained.

Toshiro pulled his hand away from Yuuri's and crossed his arms across his chest. "I don't want to go."

"Toshiro, come on. Your sister would want you there. Don't you want Kiki to teach you?"

"No!"

Viktor and Yuuri let out collective sighs.

"Aiko is going to be heartbroken when she sees you aren't there Toshiro. Do you want to make your sister cry?" Viktor said, stretching the truth a bit in order to get him to agree.

"Kiki will cry?" he asked, his expression changing.

Both men nodded.

"Buckets." Yuuri added. "She has been looking forward to it all week. It's not often she gets to hang out with you these days."

Toshiro's eyes blew big and tears started to form. "I don't want Kiki to cry!" he said.

"Then let's hurry and get to the rink. The class will start soon." Viktor said, grabbing the car keys.

Toshiro let out a sad sigh and nodded. Yuuri smiled and helped the boy put on his shoes before heading out the door.

That was easier than they thought.

-Later-

The rink was filled with little kids and their parents when they got there. Toshiro shied away, hiding behind his Papa's legs when he saw how crowded it was. Yuuri noticed and picked the boy up and slung him on his hip before walking into the crowd.

They spotted Aiko on the other side of the ice with Hikaru Toyama, Viktor's students Sanjou and Ryo and a few other kids that Yuuri had in his older class. Hikaru was standing behind Aiko, with his hands at her waist as she talked. Viktor's eyebrows furrowed.

"Hikaru! Hands off!" he yelled from across the ice. Both turned around to the sound and Aiko blushed a bright red. Hikaru put his hands up, showing Viktor that he was no longer touching her. Aiko put her head in her hands and shook her head. Even though they had been dating seriously for a year now, Viktor still acted exactly the same way he did when they were talking years ago.

Yuuri chuckled and shook his head as well, putting Toshiro down on a nearby bench to put his skates on him.

"Give her a break Vitya." Yuuri teased. Viktor cut his eyes at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't need to see him feeling up my little girl."

"He wasn't "feeling her up" but I am not going to argue with you about that right now." Yuuri said, pulling out the skates from the bag. He slipped off Toshiro's shoes and carefully put the skates on his feet.

Toshiro had his arms across his chest, nervously looking around. He didn't really do well around kids he didn't know. It also didn't help that he didn't want to skate either.

Yuuri tightly laced Toshiro's skates, causing the boy to whine about how they were going to so tight that his feet were going to come off. Yuuri chuckled a bit and snapped a quick picture of him in the skates to send to Yuri.

Yuuri and Viktor both slipped on their skates as well, since most of the parents were going to go out on the ice and help their kids along with the "teachers".

They both stood up and each took one of Toshiro's hands and headed toward the other group. Toshiro looked up pulled his Papa's hand down so he could hear him over the crowd.

"Papa, I don't want to skate." he said softly.

"What's wrong, _malyutka_ ? I know there is a lot of people here but it okay. Daddy and I are right here." he said with a soft smile. Toshiro shook his head.

"I don't want to skate. Please don't make me skate Papa."

Viktor let go of the boy's hand and dropped down into a squat to get eye to eye with him. He ran his fingers through that messy blond hair of his. "Tell me what is wrong Toshiro. Do you not feel good?" he asked, still running his fingers through his hair.

"I want to go home and color." he said with a cute little pout.

"We can go home and color after the class okay? It's only an hour and a half."

Toshiro got teary eyed but before Viktor could say anything, the parents and kids were heading onto the ice.

"We can go get mochi after class? Would you like that?" Viktor asks. Toshiro lower lip started to quiver, as if he is going to cry. Viktor sighed and pulled off the guards on his skates, Yuuri followed suit. Yuuri managed to get Toshiro to stay still long enough to take his guards off as well.

Viktor stepped on the ice first, helping Toshiro put his first foot up. Yuuri helped him put the second one up and stood right behind him. Both men held on to his hands tightly. This wasn't Toshiro's first time skating. He had gone a few times before and each time he fell hard enough to end up a crying mess. Both Yuuri and Viktor wanted to avoid that more than anything, so they kept a tight grip on him.

Toshiro put one foot forward, trying to move along the ice, but instead, he just slipped. Yuuri and Viktor yanked his arms up to keep him from falling. Toshiro looked over and saw that some of the other kids could already stand up and move around. His face went into a sad pout again as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Don't cry sweetie! You will get it!" Yuuri said, rubbing the boy's back with his free hand. Toshiro tried again, pushing his feet forwards on the ice.

"There you go buddy! Don't lock up your knees, otherwise, you will fall." Viktor said, holding the boy's upper arm. Toshiro listened intently, relaxing his knees and pushing his feet forward again. But his feet got caught and caused him to fall forward, He fell on his knees on the ice, both arms still being tightly held by his parents so he didn't fall over onto his face.

But this seemed to be his last straw. Toshiro didn't get up from his knees, instead, he sat down on his bottom and started to cry loudly.

"I don't want to skate anymore! I don't want to skate ever!" he cried, his arm covering his face. The group of people turned to look at the crying boy but Yuuri cut his eyes at the people, causing them to turn back around.

"Toshi, It's okay. Everyone falls. I fall, Papa falls, Kiki falls, even your uncle Yurio falls. It is not the end of the world." Yuuri said, still rubbing his back. Viktor got down and ran his fingers through his hair once more.

"Daddy is right Toshiro. Everybody falls. No need to get upset. Come on. Let's get up and try again."

Toshiro continued to cry. "No! I keep falling Papa! I fall and fall and fall. No one else does that." He said, starting to calm down. "I'm not good at skating like you or daddy or Kiki...I'm good at other things like drawing cars and elephants and playing hide and go seek. Can't I do that instead Papa?" He asked, his icy blue eye filled with tears.

He was speaking beyond his years. Maybe they were projecting themselves on him a bit. Maybe everyone was. They wanted him to skate just like everyone else, but they didn't think about what Toshiro wanted to do. He was always an unconventional child. Maybe they should have seen it coming. Both men felt that familiar pang in their chest as he spoke. Viktor picked up Toshiro the ice and kissed his forehead.

"Of course Toshi. You can be good at those things. You don't have to be good at skating. We are sorry for pushing you." He said, kissing his head again.

Yuuri made a noise in agreement. "You can be good at whatever you want to. Papa and I will support you no matter what you want to do." Yuuri said, kissing the back of his head.

"Anything?" Toshiro asked, wiping his runny nose.

"Anything." Viktor said with a smile.

"Okay!"

"I know you don't want to skate, but your sister is still running the class. Will you finish this one class, for her?" Yuuri asked.

Toshiro brows furrowed.

Aiko came skating up to them, Hikaru following close behind. "Is everything okay?" Aiko asked.

"Yeah, now it is." Viktor said.

"Good. I was worried there for a second when I heard him cry. I thought he hurt himself." She said."Ready to skate with us now Toshi?"

Toshiro shook his head.

"He decided he is not good at skating so he doesn't want to." Viktor explained.

Aiko put on a feigned sad face. "So you don't want to skate with your sister, not even one time?" She asked, making her lip quiver.

Toshiro's face softened and he reached over towards her. He grabbed her face and looked right at her. "Don't cry Kiki! I'll skate with you. But just one time, okay?"

Aiko smiled brightly and nodded. "Sounds like a plan." She said, grabbing him from Viktor's arms and setting him down on the ice. Hikaru grabbed one hand and Aiko grabbed the other. Viktor and Yuuri skated off the ice and headed back to their bags. Seemed like their help was no longer needed.

They both watched as Aiko and Hikaru helped him get to center ice, no matter how many times he fell. It was a sweet moment for sure. Viktor snapped a picture and sent it to Yuri and Otabek.

He wasn't going to tell them just yet about his decision. He just hoped Yuri would be as understanding as they were. Of course, Viktor and Yuuri were a little heartbroken. It was natural. They all skated and they hoped their little boy would too. But they weren't upset. Toshiro would find something soon or maybe he will try the ice again when he gets older and would find out he wanted to skate again. But either way, it was his decision to make.

He was a "big boy" after all.

Bonus:

"Mochi~ Mochi~ Mochi~" Toshiro sang, his mouth full of the sticky treat as the family walked in the park. Viktor and Yuuri were walking behind the young boy and Aiko was in the way front, walking with Hikaru. Both men smiled at the sight.

"See? Wasn't it worth it?" Viktor asked, ruffling the boy's hair. Toshiro shook his head. Viktor chuckled and reached over to grab Yuuri's free hand.

The park was rather crowded today. It was a nice day outside so they could understand why it was so packed. They walked by a baseball field where there was a game going on.

Toshiro stopped in his tracks, staring at the game unfolding before him. The pitch was thrown, faster than the boy could make out. He imagined no one could hit a ball that was going that fast. But he was swiftly proven wrong as the batter smashed it to the outfield. The batter ran as fast as he could to the first base, heading towards second.

Toshiro had run up to the gate, almost dropping his mochi. He was enamored. He couldn't look away.

The outfielder had thrown the ball into the second baseman who was waiting for the runner to come up. But the batter had gotten down and slid face first into the base, trying to reach it before he touched him. But he had come up short, getting tagged out. The batter stood up, wiping some of the dirt off himself, headed back to the dugout and the cycle started again.

Toshiro turned back to his parents with those big blue eyes.

"Daddy! Papa! I want to play this!" he yelled, pointing towards the field.

"Baseball? You want to play baseball?" Yuuri asked.

Toshiro, with a grin from ear to ear, nodded excitedly.

Yuuri and Viktor looked at each other, sharing a worried look.

What did they get themselves into?


End file.
